Kagome's Power
by Tiki Rane Gobell
Summary: COMPLETE! Kagome decides she won't wait for Inuyasha anymore. She begins her journey to discover her own power and finds more than she expected. SessKag!
1. Chapter 1

**Kagome's Power**

By Tiki Rane Gobell

**A/N:** This in my first Inuyasha fanfic. I like the Sesskag pairing, so that's what I'm going for in this story. It might seem a bit like leftover refried beans: every other person has already tried this and there are only so many ways to get the pair together. It might be a little cliché. but then, I might succeed in trying to make it original. In essence, keep an open mind when reading this.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha,... or Kagome,... or anyone,... or anything else, 'cept this keyboard.

**Chapter 1**

"Inuyasha! Either claim me as yours or send me away! Don't keep me hanging here. Can't you see it's tearing me to pieces?"

Inuyasha just crossed his arms and looked away from the yelling Kagome. He grunted, "Hmpff..."

"Argh!" exclaimed Kagome at the top of her lungs, grabbing her bow and arrows and storming out of the group's camp. Shippo, Sango, and Miroku just watched as Kagome practically ran into the nearby trees.

Kagome kept going deeper into the woods, tears streaming down her face. "Stupid Inuyasha!" she muttered to herself, "Why can't you just get over Kikyo? She died 50 years ago and that corpse walking around isn't really her! Why must you always put me second to that thing?"

The hairs on Kagome's neck bristled as she sensed something up in the trees behind her. She whipped around, notching an arrow to her bow as she did so. "Show yourself! I know you're up there!" she called into the peaceful night, now silently cursing herself for getting so far away from camp.

A figure jumped down from a high tree branch and landed lightly in front of Kagome. Kagome took an unconscious step backward away from the frightening figure. "Sesshomaru..." she gasped. She had every reason to fear for her life- Inuyasha's half-brother had already tried to take her life before.

'You do not need to fear. I will not hurt you," said Sesshomaru, but his promise did not make Kagome feel any more comfortable, as Sesshomaru had spoken in his usual emotionless, cold, and frightening voice.

"Who says I'm scared? asked Kagome, her boldness coming back in an instant.

"I can smell fear, disgusting and reeking off of every human," answered the dog demon. He sounded bored.

"Why are you here?" demanded Kagome forcibly, ignoring the fact that Sesshomaru had just implied that she reeked.

Avoiding the question, Sesshomaru asked one of his own, "Why are you crying, woman?"

Kagome blushed as she lowered her bow and tried to wipe the tears on her sleeve. "It's nothing really," she said, "Inuyasha is just...difficult sometimes."

A silence passed between the two and Kagome took it as a sin for her to continue, "Sometimes Inuyasha acts like he wants me, other times he can't even look me in the eyes. He won't claim me and yet he won't let me go on with my life and move on to other people. It's just...difficult," Kagome repeated, still blushing from the fact that she had just told one of her inner secrets to this cold individual. She had never actually talked to him before, usually just running for her life or trying to save Inuyasha from him had been their relationship.

"Indeed," responded Sesshomaru, turning to leave.

"Wait!" called Kagome, "You never answered me! Why are you here?"

Sesshomaru paused, barely turning his head to glance at her, "That is only my business." He then disappeared into the night's darkness.

"Oh great!" thought Kagome, "he left even before I could ask him which way camp was, because, admit it Kagome, you're, girl." All she said aloud was, "Damn!" She turned around until she found a direction that seemed right.

After walking along for about 10 minutes, she came to a slow moving stream. Kagome ran her fingers through her hair in frustration as she realized that she had not passed this stream on her way into the forest and, therefore, she was heading in the wrong direction. She weightily sat down on a nearby boulder, deciding to just wait for Inuyasha to find her. She hoped he would come after her...and soon. the night was starting to get a little cold and creepy. After what she had said to him, she realized she would be waiting a long time for him to come. Her eyes watched the water dancing in the moon light. A light steam was coming off it meaning that the water was warmer than the night air. "Might as well a bath while I wait," she murmured.

O0o.o0O

Sesshomaru had smelled his half-brother and his friends in the air and had gone to do some reconnaissance when he had spotted his half-brother's woman running through the forest in tears. Naturally, he was curios and so followed her in the trees. This being had aroused his curiosity even at their first meeting- though he had tried to kill her then. Her scent was so strange. It was unlike everything else in this era, as was her clothing, speech, and supplies. Whenever he sensed his brother around, Sesshomaru always felt the need to search out the group and watch this girl-no! Listen for clues about the location of Naraku, he corrected himself. But the girl did fascinate him. Several times he had seen the girl vanish down the bone-eaters well in Inuyasha Forest. When Sesshomaru tried to follow, he always just ended up landing in the bottom of the well.

Sesshomaru was now once again watching the girl. After he had walked away from her in the forest, he noticed that she was lost. "What a bothersome, clumsy human,' he thought, yet was still drawn to follow her. She came to a stream where she sat for a few minutes, obviously aware that she wasn't going in the right direction. Then, she started undressing. Something inside the demon lord clenched. He forced himself to look away from the woman, an unfamiliar heat of a blush coming to his cheeks. He put his clawed hand up to his face, noting the heat and blaming it on the night air, though he knew the night was chilly.

O0o.o0O

Back at camp, Inuyasha was silently fuming. "What is Kagome's problem? He protected her, didn't he? What else could she want from him?" he thought to himself. His other half answered, "She wants you to take her as your woman. She wants you to forget about Kikyo." But his other side argued back, "But I can't. I know Kikyo's dead, but as long as her spirit walks this Earth, I still filled tied to it. I fear to choose one in fear of losing the other."

On the other side of camp, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo sat whispering to each other. "Do you think Kagome will come back?" asked Shippo sadly. Kagome was like an adopted mother to him.

Sango said, "Of course she will. She always does. Though, I've never seen her so mad before. She didn't even yell 'sit.' Why does Inuyasha always sneak off the visit Kikyo?'

"I wonder if Inuyasha is going to follow her?" added Miroku to the discussion. "Inuyasha needs to be careful. I understand that he loves Kikyo, but I also believe he desires Kagome. If he doesn't make a choice soon, he could end up losing both of them."

"Yeah, you're right Miroku," agreed Sango, "I doubt Kikyo likes Inuyasha traveling and protecting Kagome all the time. She's probably jealous."

All three nodded as Shippo said in his regular voice so that Inuyasha could hear, "I hope Kagome's all right. It's awfully late and she's still not back. You don't think a demon got her, do you Miroku?'

The three laughed silently as Inuyasha got up and walked off into the forest, following Kagome's scent. Kagome had already bathed and had fallen asleep when Inuyasha found her. "Hey wench! What are you doing sleeping out here?" he asked her roughly, waking her out of her peaceful slumber.

Sesshomaru had been watching her sleep from a tree branch and felt his fist clench when Inuyasha spoke to her in this demeaning way. Sesshomaru couldn't understand why he was feeling like this- protective.

Kagome looked around confused, "Oh...it's you, Inuyasha. I got lost."

"Stupid wench. You seemed surprised to see me. Who else do you think would follow you?"

Kagome shrugged, "Strangely enough, I kind of thought Sesshomaru was around. I don't know, maybe that's just because I ran into him earlier in the forest."

Sesshomaru sank deeper into the forest. "Interesting," he thought, "that girl is unconsciously sensing my demonic aura. That must mean that she has great priestess powers, but she hasn't trained them yet. Hmm..." With that Sesshomaru slipped back through the forest, heading back towards Rin and Jaken at his camp. Both of them were asleep so he sat down against a tree to keep watch-as a demon, he didn't need much sleep. Though of a certain human kept going through his mind.

Inuyasha had crossed his arms behind his head and was walking back towards camp saying, "I thought I smelled that jerk in the air. I wonder what he wanted."

Kagome followed and said, "He wouldn't tell me, so I left it at that. You know, he didn't seem to much like a jerk to me."

Inuyasha sniffed, "hmpff...just try being related to him."

They walked the rest of the way to camp in silence.

**A/N:** Yeah...that's the best I could come up with. Drop me a line in the review box on your way out to tell me what you think and what could be improved on.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry 'bout that. Hmm...I titled two things the same 'chapter 2' in different folders on my computer. Wow, I'm truly an idiot. Here's what I meant to post.

-1**A/N:** Thank you to all those who reviewed the first chapter. This chapter's up extra speedily just for you. Not too exciting this time though...little out of my style with all the long descriptions Read on if you dare. **Chapter 2**

The next morning Inuyasha and group prepared to leave. They were still in search of the jewel shards because that search always led them to straight to Naraku.

"Hey, Kagome! Do you sense any jewel shards today?" Inuyasha asked Kagome who was preparing some ramen for their breakfast.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and he looked away from her- he still was unable to meet her eyes. "No, Inuyasha. I sense nothing," replied Kagome with the hint of a sigh in her voice. Inuyasha was pretending that they didn't have a fight last night. He was once again completely ignoring her feelings and even worse, he was ignoring her all together unless he was forced to speak with her. Kagome almost wished some demon would try to attack her. At least then Inuyasha would sweep her off her feet and it would be like him returning her emotions. She knew he was just scared of any commitment, but ignoring her wasn't helping anything.

After their breakfast they headed South, back to Kaeda's village. Kagome needed more supplies and the group itself needed a short break from their travels. They all hoped some news of Naraku had reached the village. The journey would take two days and so that night, Miroku 'sensed' a demonic aurora around a rather well-off lord's mansion. They would stay in comfort that night.

Around supper time, Inyuasha fell asleep. He and Kagome were supposed to be keeping watch of the grounds' front gate to earn their night's stay. Kagome watched the snoring Inuyasha. He still wouldn't talk to her, not even on their long watch. He just sat there in silence. Kagome had tried to start a conversation a few times and failed at that. Inuyasha would just grunt 'yes' or 'no' or shrug his shoulders.

"Maybe I was too forceful in our relationship, telling him to make up his mind right there on the spot last night," she thought. "No, forceful, me? I've been waiting on him and he knows it. He must've chose Kikyo over me," she felt her heart in her chest starting to crack, "I bet he didn't send me away only because he needs my jewel-detecting abilities. He doesn't want me!" She suddenly had an idea, she crept over to the sleeping Inuyasha, "Inuyasha," she whispered into his ear, "Who do you love? Kikyo or Kagome? Choose now." She had read about this. A person cannot lie in their sleep. If Inuyasha answered her, then it would be what truly lays in his heart and he'd be forever unaware that he had said anything at all.

Kagome put her ear to his lips to better hear his answer. "Kikyo..." he murmured lightly, almost out of hearing range.

Kagome's heart crumpled in her chest. She had to get away, she backed away from Inuyasha as if her were the plague and searched around for some place to go. the river. They had passed by a river on their way here and it wasn't too far away. Water always made her feel better. She ran out of the Lord's grounds and into the wilderness, towards the river. From there? Well, she decided where she wanted to go once she was at the river. Unknown to Kagome who was running off, Inuyasha was still whispering in his sleep, "...and Kagome. I love both of them..." Inuyasha shifted his head and continued sleeping, unaware that Kagome was running away from him.

The river had cold, crisp water flowing through it. Kagome had already taken off her socks and shoes and was bathing her feet into it and as she sat on a rock jutting into the flowing water. She stared at the bubbling rapids a little further off without really seeing them. She was thinking, "What had been my original plan? Sit here till he came a took me back again? No. He chose her. I don't want to stay with him anymore if he's just going to use me to find his jewel shard and then, in the end, run off to her and leave me in tears." She promised herself she wouldn't cry. Why were her cheeks wet. She closed her eyes and gave into to pain that threatening to swallow her up alive and leave just a ghost of her behind. A cold shell.

With her eyes closed, she didn't notice the eyes pop up in the water nearby. She didn't notice the frog demon sizing her up, that is, until it spoke to her, "Oh my sweet dear. Is life that difficult to cause you to shed such tears. I can fix that, dear. A few swift crunches and you will never have to worry about anything again."

Kagome jumped to her feet and reached for her bow. Her fingers only caught air as she remembered it was still back at the mansion she had ran from. She backed up as far away from the slimy demon as possible, to the rock's other side. The frog demon approached her, wicked radioactive-green eyes never leaving the girl's figure. It pulled itself up onto the broad rock and slid its sickeningly long pink tongue out of its mouth licking its lips and showing a row of sharp teeth. "My, you looked tasty. Now this will only hurt a bit.."

It threw it's long tongue out in a frog-like manner, hoping to wrap its tongue around her and catch her. Its tongue missed as Kagome did the only thing possible for her to do at that moment. She fell backwards into the swirling waters allowing the current to sweep her a way from the foul demon. Once far enough away, she tried to swim back to shore, but the current was too swift and her arms were too tired from fighting the water to stay up. The water was pulling her faster and faster to the rapids she had noticed earlier. At a distance, they seemed mildly dangerous, but here in the roaring water, they seemed so much more...deadly. The rocks sticking out of the water and those hidden underneath the surface of the water would kill her if the water slammed her into one.

"Inuyasha...!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as the water pushed her directly at the edge of one such boulder in the water. She was frantically trying to scramble out the of the rocks way, but he current was just too strong. Two seconds before she was driven into it, she closed her eyes, hoping that if she didn't see the damage it caused her, then it couldn't hurt her. Suddenly she felt the someone grab her arm and pull her from the water. The same person also picked her up bridal-style and easily jumped to shore from the rock in the rapids. Kagome kept her eyes shut, hoping that she wasn't dreaming and that Inuyasha had actually had come to save her. She feared to open her eyes as she might have found that really she had been dreaming and was really being torn apart by the never-ceasing waters. She felt a soft touch on her forehead, Inuyasha checking to se if she was okay. Good. It wasn't a dream then. She finally opened her eyes to find Sesshomaru's face above her.

She squirmed and tried to crawl away, but Sesshomaru had a good grip on her. "I'm just checking for injuries. You do not need to fear."

"I'm not afraid. And don't you even say that you can smell it," she warned as Sesshomaru let go of her, done checking for injuries.

"You seem to be fine. Why were you in the water?" asked Sesshomaru, still cold and almost distant.

"Well, I didn't want to be, if that's what you're asking," huffed Kagome, "It was the only way to get away from the frog demon trying to eat me."

"You could learn how to make a barrier. You're a priestess, that's obvious from your purifying arrow, but you can do more than that if you train your powers. Not that I care, but Inuyasha may not always be around to protect you. If you go to another priestess, I'm sure she'll be able to show you how to focus your power and make you stronger. Just in case Inuyasha's being, what you call, difficult." Sesshomaru had already risen from where he had tended to Kagome and was once again walking away.

Kagome was confused as to why Sesshomaru had told her this. "Did he know that she intended to leave Inuyasha? No. Impossible, he was just giving friendly advice. Hmm...friendly and Sesshomaru in the same sentence. Amazing," she thought. Kagome had to admit she was growing rather fond of explaining her problems to Sesshomaru. There was just something about him. Meanwhile, he was receding into the trees again, "Wait!" she called after him, "thanks."

Sesshomaru paused for a moment and nodded. Then, he was gone.

Kagome peered after him for a few moments before following the river upstream to her shoes and socks. Luckily, the frog demon was not around anymore. She put on her socks and shoes thinking that she would return to Inuyasha's side for now, until she was strong enough to protect herself. She returned to the front gate she was supposed to be keeping a watch on and sat next to the still slumbering Inuyasha. Her clothes were almost dry so she saw need to tell Inuyasha of her exploits, or of Sesshomaru rescuing her, or of his advice.

Sesshomaru just couldn't explain it to himself. Why had he felt the need to follow that girl? Why did he want to save her and protect her? Why had he allowed a civil conversation to come to pass the two? And why was he helping her leave his half-brother with his advice? It was complicated. Something inside himself awoke in that girl's presence. He decided he would have to keep a closer eye on that part of himself in the future if he was to continue being his cold self.

Sesshomaru arrived at the girl's shoes and socks before her. He went over to the water's edge. He could smell the frog demon lurking beneath the river's surface.

"Come out," the dog demon lord demanded.

The demon surfaced, "Ah, you don't look as tasty as the last, but you'll do nicely in my stomach."

"You will die," said Sesshomaru boredly, swiping his claws through the frog demon's body. The carcass was carried under by the current. Sesshomaru turned his back on it and made his way to the waiting Rin and Jaken as always.

**A/N: **Yeah, a lot of narration in this one. Hope I didn't bore you to death. Well, you know the routine, drop a line in the review box and have a nice day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** All right, here's the best I can come up with. Sessy's going to the future. He has to, for later in the story. hint, hint, wink, wink If you know what I have planned from that then you're a genius, or psychic. So, this is what you get for this chapter:

**Chapter 3**

The following afternoon the group arrived in Kaeda's village. Kagome rushed off as soon as they got there to speak with Kaeda alone. "Lady Kaeda," she called out, entering the old woman's hut, "We're back."

"Find any new shards?" asked the village shrine maiden. She was sitting by a flat rock and seemed to be preparing some sort of herbal medicine upon the rock. She paused in her task to speak with Kagome.

"Unfortunately, I didn't sense any jewel shards. We also haven't heard any rumors of Naraku's whereabouts. Lady Kaeda..." Kagome trailed of as if unsure how to continue.

"Yes? What do you need, Kagome?"

"Ah...um...well I wondering ...could you maybe...teach me to control my powers better..You know..Train me so that I can make barriers and heal people. Stuff like that."

Kaeda stood up from where she was working and walked over to Kagome, "Why the sudden need to train your powers?" she asked while looking deep into Kagome's eyes-she sensed something was up.

"I just want to become stronger that way Inuyasha doesn't always have to protect me." It was true. Kagome just failed to mention the bit about wanting to leave Inuyasha's company once she was strong enough. However, Kaeda must've not seen the trace of guilt in Kagome's eyes as she stopped critiquing Kagome's intentions and sat down of the floor, beckoning Kagome to sit in front of her facing her.

"Does this mean you'll teach me?" Kagome asked excitedly.

Kaeda nodded and said, "I'll teach you all that I know. My spiritual powers were never great enough to use what I learned as a child from Kikyo, but yours may be enough. It will still be hard work that requires lots of energy and lots of practice. Let's first begin by strengthening your spiritual senses..."

O0o.o0O

"I wonder why we're staying here so long," Sango told Miroku a week later.

"I also wonder that, and why Kagome keeps disappearing with Kaeda. It's rather mysterious," Miroku commented.

Shippo jumped up onto Sango's shoulder nodding, "Kagome usually just returns to her time when we come back here, but she hasn't even gone back yet."

"Bah, who cares?" growled Inuyasha, "Kagome just does what she wants anyway. Why should we worry about it?"

"I think Inuyasha's still mad at Kagome from that fight a while ago. Haven't they made up yet?" whispered Shippo.

"I don't think they have," said Miroku, "They've been avoiding each other for a very long time. Inuyasha should just learn to lighten up on Kagome. She just wants him to..." Miroku finished his sentence with a demonstration- he grabbed Sango's rear. SMACK! "Sango, come on. I was just demonstrating!" pleaded Miroku, his cheek still had Sango's hand print on it.

"Cool it, lecher. That's what you want, not what Kagome wants, or, for that matter, what I want." She gave Miroku a frosty glare. Miroku visibly shivered and Shippo hid behind Kirara.

"She's almost as scary as Kagome when she's angry," whispered the young fox demon.

"Speaking of Kagome, here she comes," announced Miroku, changing the subject quickly, Sango's anger subsided as Kagome approached.

The demon slayer gasped, "Kagome, you look exhausted!" There were deep black circles under Kagome's eyes, along with drooping eyelids. Kagome looked on the verge of passing out.

"Uh...I've been having trouble sleeping," lied Kagome. She was so tired because she had been training with Kaeda and meditating nearly all night and day for the entire week. But she had to make her training a crash course. She knew the group would be moving on soon and she wanted to keep the training a secret for now, until she was truly ready to leave. "Anyway, I'm going home for the night. I'll be back mid-morning tomorrow and we can continue our jewel shard search then.."

"Okay, Kagome. Make sure you get some sleep tonight. And can you bring me one of those sweet sticky things on a stick? Please, Kagome?" begged Shippo.

The little fox demon looked so cute with his puppy-eyed expression, Kagome grabbed him up into a hug. "Of course I will, Shippo!"

With that, she placed Shippo back onto the ground and took her leave, pausing only to pick up her bag, bow, and arrows. Inuyasha silently got up and followed her. Kagome didn't respond to his presence until she reached Inuyasha Forest.

She turned around and said, "Inuyasha, you don't have to come. I'll be fine by myself." She turned without giving him time to argue and began to trot off deeper into the woods. Inuyasha caught her arm, forcing her to face him.

"Kagome," he said almost tenderly, but it didn't quite overpower the rough quality of his speech. "I wanted to talk."

"Do you?" asked Kagome in an I-could-care-less manner.

Inuyasha nodded, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. He had expected Kagome to want to talk to him-she normally never shut up.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Kagome, placing her hands on her hips and drumming her fingers on her sides after Inuyasha had released her from his grip.

"Er...well...You've just seemed distant lately. I was wondering what was wrong."

"Oh, so now that Inuyasha feels lonely because someone else is being distant towards him, he recognizes how painful it is. You see what you've been putting me through. Inuyasha, I gave you a decision to make. Me or Kikyo. We both know you didn't choose me!" Kagome started to walk off again.

"Kagome, wait! Don't leave yet!" He grabbed her wrist this time and swung her into his embrace. "I'm serious Kagome. I don't want to lose you." His lips started to move towards Kagome's. Kagome's breath caught in her chest. This is what she had wanted Inuyasha to do for so long, but right now, it felt so wrong. He didn't love her, he loved Kikyo. He was just trying to make her stay. "He always does something like this. He knows how to make you crawl back to him, Kagome. Don't believe he's sincere. He's controlling you," thought Kagome. Their lips were about to connect. She did the only thing she could and turned her head so that he could only kiss her cheek.

"Kagome?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha. You've waited too long. I don't love you anymore." Kagome tore herself from Inuyasha's grasp and starting walking towards the well.

Inuyasha just stared after her in shock. He had lost Kagome. "Kagome! Are you coming back?"

"Yes Inuyasha, but only for Sango's, Shippo's, and Miroku's sake. Not yours."

Inuyasha backed into a tree trunk and slid to the ground. For the third time in his adult life, he cried, tears falling silently down his cheeks.

"I don't think we should've followed them. That was a nasty break-up," whispered Miroku who was hiding behind some bushes next to Sango and Shippo.

"Kagome had every reason to. A girl can only wait so long for a guy," whispered Sango.

"At least she'll keep traveling with us," said Shippo, looking towards the sunny side of the two's argument.

"That's going to be awkward," both Miroku and Sango said.

They retreated from the crying figure without a noise. No need for Inuyasha to know that they had seen him crying.

Kagome hadn't shed a tear. She had been embracing the idea that she and Inuyasha would break-up for a while, that is, if you could break something that was never truly together. She had just reached the well and was peering into the thing that had started it all. She smiled when she felt a familiar presence behind her.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd accuse you of stalking me," said Kagome, not even turning around.

"I see you took my advice and started to train your priestess powers." It was Sesshomaru..again, his cold and serious usual self.

Kagome turned around to face him, nodding, "Yes, Lady Kaeda was able to help me train my sensing powers. She also taught me the basics of healing and how to produce a barrier, though both those powers aren't very strong yet. I have to meditate to make them stronger and speak with stronger priestesses to learn more. But I can now sense demonic auras a lot better."

Sesshomaru appeared emotionless as always, yet there seemed to be a certain gleam in his eye- curiosity, maybe, "woman, why are you about to jump into that well?" He really wanted to know the secret to this well.

'Oh, I was just about to go home."

"You live in a well, woman?"

'No, I don't," a little outraged at the accusation, "and stop calling me 'woman' all the time! I have a name, you know. Or maybe you don't. We've never been properly introduced. I'm Kagome Higurashi." Kagome bowed to the demon lord, which Sesshomaru returned with the slightest of a nod. He had known the girl's name from his eavesdropping on her...no, eavesdropping on Inuyasha's group, not just her, he corrected himself. He hadn't called her by her name so far because then he'd have to admit to this eavesdropping.

"Tell me," Sesshomaru said, still as cold and serious as ever, "does everyone who lives in a well talk as much as you do? Or dress as strangely?"

Kagome stamped her foot in frustration, "I told you I don't live in a well. And someone here has to talk enough to make up for your silence. And hey! What's wrong with my clothes?"

"They make you look like a harlot," answered Sesshomaru calmly.

"How rude!" exclaimed Kagome with a blush, "This happens to be my school uniform!"

"Women are allowed to go to school in your village?"

"Not in my village, but in my time. I'm from the future, five centuries to be exact," Kagome explained, embarrassed because she knew he would think her crazy.

"And you live in a well in the future?" asked Sesshomaru. He was still expressionless, but Kagome had the feeling that this was his attempt at humor.

Kagome sighed deeply, tired of explaining the confusing concept. "I got it," she announced suddenly, "I'll just show you."

And with that, and without a second thought to the fact of whom she was doing it to, she grabbed Sesshomaru's hand and dragged him to the edge of the well and jumped in. Sesshomaru didn't resist and unconsciously gripped her hand tighter.

It was a weird sensation for the demon lord. He was both amazed and confused at the same time. He was amazed that he was being led to the future by this strange girl, but was confused at the fact that he had to admit he was enjoying the touch of her hand. He was grateful it was dark on the other side of the well, for he felt that unfamiliar heat come to his cheeks again. They must've been in a building, for it had been only late afternoon when they had left the feudal era.

Sesshomaru released Kagome's hand and jumped out of the well, Kagome climbing up behind him. He looked around- he was in a shed-like building. Kagome brushed passed him on her way to the door.

"You coming?" she asked as she opened the door. He began following her, taking his first steps in the future along side this human.

**A/N: **It's hard to be original when taking Sesshomaru to the future, so the next chaps gonna be a bit cliché. Again, that whole leftover refried beans deal.


	4. Chapter 4

-1

**Chapter 4**

With Sesshomaru's first step into the night air outside the Higurashi Shrine, his senses were assaulted with a million new scents and noises. Though his face showed no discomfort, he was silently fighting the urge to pass out. A growl escaped his lips and Kagome gave him a curious look.

"Too many scents and sounds," explained Sesshomaru. He began to look around, blocking his other senses. It was rather simple-a house, shrine, small shrine store, and the building he had just exited from- but their construction seemed more advance, and there was light. Light without the use of fire. It seemed magical. The demon lord then spotted the Goshinboku tree.

"Is that the tree Inuyasha was pinned to for 50 years?" he asked Kagome, though it seemed like he couldn't really care less.

"Yes. That tree connects Inuyasha with this time, which is why he can come through the well-portal to this time. The only reason you could pass through the portal is because you were touching me- I became your link to this time. I still don't quite understand it all myself." The two stayed in silence for a few moments.

"Well, come on, then," Kagome beckoned, breaking the silence, "I can smell mom cooking dinner. You're in for a treat." She was just about to enter the house, but then had second thoughts. "Oh, and Sesshomaru, no matter what, don't attack anything or anyone in the house, or well, anywhere. Nothing with hurt you in the future."

Sesshomaru nodded, but she knew he didn't care what she said. He would do what he wanted anyway. With the house door opening and then closing behind him, Sesshomaru's sense of smell began returning. He was getting use to all the new odors of the future. He noticed a young boy immersed with a gadget of some kind connected to a box of moving pictures. Odd noises were escaping the box, annoying noises.

"Hey Souta, I'm home."

"Sis, we've been expecting you for a while. It's been a long time since you last returned." The boy's eyes never left the screen.

Sesshomaru was contemplating ripping that box issuing sounds to shreds to end the annoying pops and beeps. He tensed his claws.

Kagome saw this and made calming gestures with her hands to Sesshomaru while telling Souta, "Hey, Souta, why don't you turn off your video game. Can't you see we have a guest?"

Souta was still glued to the screen, "If it's Inuyasha, tell him to come join me. He's always easy to beat."

"No, Souta, it isn't Inuyasha. This is Lord Sesshomaru." Souta was now interested in their guest. He turned off his game and the TV and came over inspecting Sesshomaru. That's when he saw the demon lord's long bushy tail. He put out a hand to pet it, "Boy, don't touch me if you value your life," growled Sesshomaru.

Souta jumped back and hid behind Kagome, "eek, sister! You should've brought Inuyasha. He's nicer."

"You just don't know Lord Sesshomaru well enough yet. Why don't you take him up to the bathroom to clean up before supper." She then turned to Sesshomaru whispering, "please don't kill him."

Kagome walked to the kitchen to find her mom cooking, "Hey mom, I'm home."

"Welcome home Kagome. Inuyasha with you?"

"No, mom. Lord Sesshomaru is. You'll meet him at dinner. Do you need any help?"

Kagome helped her mother finish dinner and set the table while her grandfather came in and placed himself at the head of the table. "Welcome back Kagome!" he greeted.

"Hi Grandpa," said Kagome cheerfully, placing the food on the table. Souta then entered with an annoyed Sesshomaru behind him. Kagome's grandfather jumped to his feet faster than any man his age should be able to.

"Look out Souta! There's a demon behind you. Be gone demon!" Grandpa shouted, throwing a sutra at Sesshomaru's head. Sesshomaru just caught it in the air, burning it with his poison and looking ready to attack the old man.

Kagome jumped between the two, "Grandpa, how many times must I tell you that you can't go around attacking innocent visitors? This is Lord Sesshomaru, and he will be staying the night here."

"Lord Sesshomaru, eh? What happened to Inuyasha?" Grandpa eyed Sesshomaru fearfully, as if the demon lord had eaten Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha's fine. Lord Sesshomaru is Inuyasha's half-brother."

"Oh, why didn't you just say so. I remember this pair of half-brothers from my youth in the spring of..." Kagome's grandfather went into a long and pointless story that was most likely made-up anyway. Everyone just ate their supper, no one really listening to the old man. Sesshomaru never usually ate human food. He detested it. Yet he forced himself to sample the cuisine from the future, mostly out of curiosity. He found that not even he could find much bad to say about it.

After dinner, Kagome took a long bath. "This is what I miss from this time the most." She thought the same thing again when she collapsed on her bed and fell instantly asleep.

Sesshomaru was sitting on what Kagome's mother had called a "sofa." It was mildly comfortable, yet Sesshomaru didn't desire sleep. He wished to explore the area and sneaked out of the house to do so. Hours later he returned after seeing so much technology and advancement. He had to believe that this really was the future. With that in mind, Sesshomaru fell into a Kagome-filled dreamland.

"Sesshomaru, it's time to return. Are you ready?" asked Kagome the next morning, still stuffing items into the huge bag she carried with her.

Sesshomaru got up silently and followed her when she walked to the well-house. Back in feudal times, the dog demon prepared to just walk off without saying a word.

"Sesshomaru, where are you going?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I have matters to attend to," Sesshomaru answered vaguely.

"Will I see you again?" Kagome inquired with hope in her voice.

There was a long silence. Sesshomaru had paused in his tracks with Kagome staring at his back. "Yes," he answered after some time. Silently, he yearned to take Kagome into his arms...well, his right arm. He was missing his left arm do to that encounter with Inuyasha. Secretly, Sesshomaru had fallen for a human. He silently cursed himself for it, yet it couldn't be helped. He began to slip into the forest again.

Kagome stared after him for a few minutes, even after he was out of sight. She wanted to do something for him and she couldn't understand exactly why. She had an idea, but her powers weren't strong enough yet. She would have to see another village priestess and learn some more. She sighed to herself then turned back to Kaeda's village to join the group.


	5. Chapter 5

-1**A/N:** The ideas I played with in this chapter have already been picked over and written about at least 1000 times over, but I liked them and wanted to include them in my story too. So here's my twist on some old favorite situations:

**Chapter 5**

"Master, why are we here? We've heard no rumors of Naraku dwelling in such an...undesirable place." Jaken was complaining once again. They had been traveling for three weeks straight, talking to the strangest demons, a tree, and even a few humans. Sesshomaru was searching for something, Jaken was sure of that.

Jaken nearly ran into the back of the dog demon as he stop in his tracks, listening to the night. They were in a swamp and it stank of decay. Jaken was covered in swamp mud and sludge up to him middle, Rin was clean and riding on Ah- Un, while Sesshomaru flew above the swamp using his demonic powers.

"Lord?" asked Jaken tentatively.

"Stay here and protect Rin," Sesshomaru's command was like ice.

"Yes, my Lord," Jaken bowed, only succeeding in getting his nose covered in swamp sludge as Sesshomaru had already flown off above the filth. "Oh, Master, why do you always leave me with this human girl?" Jaken spoke only to himself and the wind.

After Jaken, Ah-Un, and Rin were out of sight, a fire came into view. Sesshomaru couldn't tell if this was what he was searching for, as the swamp gases prevented him from picking up _her_ scent.

He approached the flickering flames, conjured by some magic into the water itself. There was a...well, it was hard to classify what she was exactly. She had gray hair in muddy dreadlocks, heavy lidded eyes, a flat nose that ended right above her thin lips, and scaly black skin. Sesshomaru had the impression that she was some kind of eel demon and believed her to be the one he was searching for.

The woman was hissing in an unfamiliar language. She stopped abruptly and seemed to go into a trance, slightly rocking back and forth while staring into the flames as if she could read something by them. "I know what you seek, but you seek in vain," she said in a monotone hissing voice, not even turning to the approaching dog demon.

"And what is it I seek?" asked Sesshomaru.

"You seek the means to turn a human into a demon. Is that not true?"

"It is true. Why do I seek in vain?"

"You seek the only means to achieve your goal- the _Drink of Anomede_. The Drink of Anomede is made from the leaves of the tree of _Emoceba Anomede_. Yet to make this drink, you need 200 years for it to ferment. That is long beyond the life span of a human. That is why you have come in vain."

"Where can I find this tree?" asked Sesshomaru, not heeding the eel-soothsayer's advice.

"You shall seek it though it is in vain? Then I will tell you. You must travel to the top of _Mount Efil-Denahetaed_ off the coast of the East shoreline. Travel by the _Path of Niotami Erofstran_ up the side of the mountain. Along this path you shall be tested. I cannot say what the tests will be. They are different for each traveler. If you make it to the top, pluck 13 leaves from the tree, each one from a separate branch. That is all I can say of your journey."

"And how would I make the Drink of Anomede?"

"Boil the leaves in a kettle of water retrieved from the spot a spring first pours out water from the ground to form a river. Boil the leaves the entire night of a full moon. Let it cool the whole next day and, at sunset, add a drop of blood from the type of demon you desire the transformation to be into. Contain the liquid in a silver flask and bury it in the ground, three feet deep- one foot of soil for each part of a person's being- mind, body, and spirit. Let it stay under the ground for 200 years so that it shall ferment into the Drink of Anomede."

"And what would happen if the drink was underground for more than 200 years?"

The eel-demon woman contemplated this question for a while before answering, "The drink should become stronger, and the transformation would yield a stronger demon, though isn't 200 years too long a time to wait for a mere mortal human?"

Sesshomaru ignored the question. "How much does the human need to drink?"

"A mouthful is all that the human would need to swallow to achieve a full transformation. The transformation itself is gradual, taking seven days to reach full effect. Once the transformation begins, the effect is permanent."

Sesshomaru gave the woman a slight bow, which meant she had told him all he needed to know. He returned to his followers deep in thought only pausing to say, "Come," before making his way out of the swamp. Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Un followed the receding figure.

O0o.o0O

"Close you're eyes. Now, feel your power. Search your soul, find your power in your inmost being. Collect it and push it to your hands . Open your eyes and lay your hands on this man's wound, not only release, but push the power from your hands into his body. Imagine the wound closing, the skin re-knitting itself. Bring the leftover power back to your body and there! Good job Kagome! I think you have this healing thing mastered."

"Thank you so much for teaching me Priestess Relaeha!" exclaimed a cheerful Kagome and giving the village healer a hug over their patient- a man who was injured working in the fields by a tool. The group had finally reached a village with a priestess whom Kagome could learn from.

Relaeha returned the hug and told Kagome, "Just do your meditation every day to increase your power and soon you'll be able to heal every type of injury."

"Thank you again," said Kagome, waving goodbye to the healer and heading out the door of the infirmary to rejoin her traveling companions. It had been an awkward couple of weeks, after her and Inuyasha's "break-up." They wouldn't speak to each other, though when Inuyasha did try to apologize to her, she would give him the cold shoulder and he would give up anyway. The rest of the group pretended not to see them fighting, and treated them just the same as always, though Sango's smile seemed forced, thought Kagome.

Every time they set up a new camp for the night, Kagome would sense the woods around her, searching for Sesshomaru's aura. A week after Kagome had left the healer's instruction, she once again felt that familiar aura.

Kagome pretended to go to sleep with the rest of the group, but once they were all slumbering peacefully, their snores echoing in the darkness, Kagome got up from her sleeping bag, being careful not to wake Shippo up in the process. She walked a little ways from camp, not focusing on anything in particular, until she knew she was close enough to Sesshomaru for him to hear her.

"I see you keep your promises," she said softly, speaking of his parting answer last time they spoke to her question, 'Will I see you again?' It was a inferred promise at best. Sesshomaru came into her view. The moon was at it's quarter, so there was just enough light to dance off his silver hair.

"I have finished the business I had to attend to...for now. I was just passing through," said Sesshomaru. He seemed a little distant, but Kagome was used to this by now. She understood the Sesshomaru kept his emotions (if there really were any) locked deep down inside.

An awkward silence fell between the two, though neither made any notion as to wanting to leave. Kagome decided to break the silence. She had been training for weeks for this moment. "Uh...Sess...Sesshomaru? I have something for you."

Sesshomaru revealed nothing that he was thinking so Kagome took it as a sign to continue. She approached him and he didn't withdraw. Another good sign, for a human. That meant the dog demon wouldn't kill you...normally.

"May I see your arm?" she asked tentatively.

Sesshomaru hesitantly held out his right arm.

"No, your other arm. I need to see what's left of it," said Kagome, reaching up and sliding the left side of his kimono down below his arm. She didn't even think of the fact that she was practically undressing him. Sesshomaru did, and tensed his body, suspicious of her now.

Kagome put a hand to her mouth when she saw the stump of an arm he had left from that fateful encounter a long while ago with Inuyasha at their father's grave. Back then, Sesshomaru had tried to kill her. Now, she was standing next to him, a hair's breath away, and felt no fear from his presence at all. She looked into the dog demon's calm gold eyes that reflected only curiosity and a slight hint of suspicion. "This might hurt at first," she whispered, closing her eyes and finding her power within her like the Healer Relaeha had taught her too. She pulled almost everything she had from her inmost being, leaving only her soul to sustain herself. She pushed all of her other power to her hands. She opened her eyes and was astonished to find them glowing a light pink. She placed her glowing hands on what was left of Sesshomaru's arm and pushed the power out of herself , remembering everything from her school's anatomy class as she did so. She imagined the bones being formed and heard Sesshomaru growl as the new bones grew out of his arm. She was astonished that it had worked so far, but she didn't lighten up, still pushing the healing powers from herself into this demon. The two beings were engulfed in the pink light as Kagome imagined the muscles, tendons, veins, blood, and finally the skin of the missing arm forming, knitting itself together and connecting to the place it had been missing from for so long.

When the light faded, Sesshomaru looked down at his new left arm and experimentally moved and flexed it. It looked exactly like his right, from his clawed fingers to his demon markings. There wasn't even a scar. He stared at the nervous human woman standing before him.

Kagome stared back at him. He was giving her a look she had never seen before on his face. Was it appreciation maybe? Or caring? Or Love? She didn't know. She was too tired to think, she had used too much power to reform his arm. She felt her knees collapse and braced herself to hit the hard forest floor. Yet she never felt the ground. Sesshomaru had caught her and was holding her up with his new arm. He brought her into his embrace and softly kissed her lips. Kagome wasn't sure if that had happened at all, for as quickly as it had come, their lips parted and Kagome fell unconscious.

"Foolish girl, you used too much of your power." Yet the anger in his voice wasn't reflected in his eyes. Something was stirring within himself that he had kept suppressed since he was a child. This emotion...unfitting for a demon of his stature. Yet he knew his father had felt it too. It led his father to die for Inuyasha's mother, saving her from death. However, Sesshomaru wasn't ready to express this emotion, especially not to some human. He picked up the unconscious woman and carried her to her camp, silently placing her in her sleeping bag.

He walked off through the woods in anger- angry at himself for showing such emotion, no, for kissing that human girl. He had yet to locate the Tree of Emoceba Anomede, he was not sure yet that it even really existed. The eel demon said it did, yet he never took anyone's word. He looked at his new arm. Once she was a demon, he would have no problems taking her as his mate. Now, he continued on his way to the east shore to find Mount Efil-Denahetaed, leaving even his faithful followers behind to wait on him to return.

**A/N:** I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing, or too cliché. Oh, and you're probably thinking right now that Tiki Rane Gobell comes up with the weirdest names. Not even Japanese names. That's true. Most of the names I used were just words that described the objects or people backwards, sometimes with an extra 'i', 'e', or 'a' added so that it was possible to pronounce them. For example, the healer, Relaeha, is just 'A healer' spelled backwards, and the Tree of Emoceba Anomede, "Become a (extra a) demon (extra e)." Oh, and that Mount Efil-Denahetaed, 'Life and Death' with two 'e's added. Yeah, there were more in this chappie, and will probably be more later on.


	6. Chapter 6

-1**A/N:** I should've titled this chapter 'Writer's Block' for I had a serious case of it while writing this chapter. It's still pretty...bland. Hopefully I won't lose too many readers over it.

**Chapter 6**

Inuyasha and gang were not-so-uncommonly traveling from village to village looking for news of Naraku. At each village, Kagome picked up new techniques for her powers, learning to erect barriers around herself and even this neat thing where she focused her purification powers on her hand so that she could throw a wave of purification with just a flick of her wrist. Kagome still decided to keep her training and new powers secret from the others. She had also kept her meeting with Sesshomaru a secret, which included that kiss they had shared. She hadn't seen Sesshomaru since and was beginning to wonder if he was avoiding her.

The group had reached the far west shoreline and were about to return to Kaeda's when they stumbled across a desolated village. Everything was dead: people in the streets and homes, chickens in the yards, horses in the stables, even the plant life had withered away into crunchy brown-ness. The strangest thing of all was that there were no marks on the bodies of the dead. Nothing to suggest what had killed them.

"What could do all this?" gasped Kagome, holding Shippo closer to herself.

"Naraku. His stench is everywhere making it impossible to tell exactly where he is," growled Inuyasha, his lip turned in disgust.

Suddenly, a pot flew out of a nearby hut doorway, shattering on Inuyasha's head. They could hear the shuffling and clinking from inside of someone rummaging as two more pots flew out of the door, both crashing on Inuyasha's head. The half-demon lost his temper, drawing Tessaiga from his side and transforming it into it's fang mode. He was about to destroy the entire hut with his windscar when Kagome shouted, "Inuyasha, sit!"

Inuyasha fell to the ground, barely missing the sharp edge of his own sword.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, but Kagome made hushing motions with her hands saying, "Inuyasha, you can't just kill innocent people. I don't sense a demonic aura, so it's probably only a human. Maybe they can tell us what happened."

True to Kagome's suspicions, a dirty head, yet a human head nonetheless, peeked out of the doorway.

"I'm warning you, demons! I'm armed!" the person in the hut threatened, though the voice was shaky. It was a gruff male voice.

Kagome took over this diplomatic situation, "Sir, please. We are not demons and we are not here to hurt you. Can you tell us what happened here?"

The man came out of the hut, still casting the group suspicious glances. He was pulling a wooden cart loaded with miscellaneous valuables which Kagome suspected he had pilfered from the surrounding huts. The man himself was thin and rough-looking- his ribcage was clearly visible beneath his torn weather-beaten and dirty clothes. Everything was evidence to the fact that he was homeless.

"Aye. I saw what happened. Never will forget it, I won't. I was live in the woods, see. Good thing too. The cloud of poisonous gas missed me. But these people weren't so lucky. It came rolling through, like a thick fog. A cloud of miasma it was. Killed everything, then rolled on to the sea, taking many souls with it. I'm just here to salvage what I can."

"You mean pick the valuables off the villagers' corpses," accused Inuyasha rudely.

"They wouldn't be needing them anymore," argued the man without shame.

"Never mind that," stepped in Miroku, preventing Inuyasha from punching the man, "Did you see where the miasma came from?"

"Just follow the trail of death. It leads to the cliffs and to that cave," the man said, pointing to a cliff face behind him. Even from their distance, they could see a black mouth of a cave entrance. The man went on with his pilfering, ignoring the group as they buried the dead bodies, Miroku saying a brief prayer over each mound of earth. It was mid afternoon when they finished and they began to journey to the distant cliffs. the way was easy enough, the followed the path of dead plants, speeding their trip along. However, they walked slowly so that they could rest their energy. There was no telling what they would meet at that cave.

They had an uneasy night, camped below the sheer wall of rock. They had reached the cliff at sundown and dared not climb the cliff until it was light. Kagome kept turning in her sleep, uneasy about something.

Sango asked, "What's wrong Kagome?"

"I can't sense any shards of the shikon jewel. If it was really Naraku, I should be able to sense his shards."

"Maybe there's a barrier," Miroku said knowingly.

"Maybe..." trailed Kagome, turning over again to try to go asleep. She was slightly upset that, even after all the training she had put herself through, she still couldn't sense past Naraku's barrier.

The next morning they began to go up the wall of the cliff. Sango and Miroku on Kirara; Kagome on Shippo in his bubble form; Inuyasha jumping from rock to rock.

"This cave reeks of Naraku. He's in there, all right.," said Inuyasha when they reached the cave entrance, holding his sleeve up to his nose trying to block the smell.

"It could very well be a trap," reasoned Miroku.

"Bah, doesn't matter," spat Inuyasha, "Naraku is going to die today no matter what he has planned. Well, what are we waiting for? I'm going to go kill that bastard!"

Inuyasha took off into the cave and was instantly thrown back as he hit a barrier.

"Barrier, eh?" Inuyasha pulled his Tessaiga out, transforming it into it's red barrier-breaking form. "Take this!" he shouted, throwing himself at the barrier only to be thrown back again as the barrier resisted his Tessaiga. "What!"

"Try this," Kagome said, placing her hand on Tessaiga's blade and causing it to glow pink, essentially merging her own powers with Inuyasha's. "Now it has a protective purification shield. The two attacks together might break Naraku's barrier."

"Since when has she been able to control her powers like that?" Miroku whispered to Sango. Sango just shrugged as she watched Inuyasha try the new attack. The barrier broke allowing the group to enter the cave. Inside, there was a single passage, like a tunnel. It sloped downward and had torches lit every ten feet or so allowing the group to see bones and carcasses on the ground. It just added images to the gore-reeked air smelling of death.

The group continued walking down this path, as it had no other paths branching off of it. An eerie silence fell over the group only broken by a distant drip of water. The further they traveled, the closer this drip of water sounded. Eventually, the tunnel ended and they came to a huge cavern. There was an underground lake in the middle of the open space. The lake was in constant ripples due to one huge stalagmite forming a stone tornado shape above the cavern that had a thin stream of water running down it. This water eventually dripped off into the lake. The rest of the ceiling could not be seen because of the hordes of flying demons- Naraku's usual entourage.

Standing on top of the water in the middle of the underground lake was the most hated enemy of the small group- Naraku!

He wore an evil smile and dangerously dancing eyes. He sneered, "Inuyasha..."

**A/N: **That's all I have time to type right now. I'll update again early tomorrow morning...okay...early to me is 9...so expect it around 10...maybe...


	7. Chapter 7

-1**Chapter 7**

Kikyo's eyes narrowed. She has just sensed Naraku's aura as if his protective barrier had been suddenly broken by force. She picked up her bow from the ground and began walking in Naraku's direction, her soul collectors drifting around her.

O0o.o0O

"Naraku," gasped the group in one collective breath.

Naraku sounded playful as he said, "I'm so glad we could meet here today, though I will admit to being a little surprised that you were able to break the barrier without Kikyo's help. I'm sure she'll be here soon anyway. It's amazing how one little destroyed village can attract my enemies just as a flame can a moth. And just as that flame licks at the body of the moth, torturing it and killing it, so will I kill you, Inuyasha!"

As if Inuyasha's name were a signal, all the demons hovering on the ceiling on the cavern suddenly sped at the group. At the same time, Kagura and Kanna appeared from nowhere and stepped in front of the tunnel to the cave entrance, cutting off any retreat. Inuyasha pulled out his sword, preparing to use the windscar.

"Inuyasha, don't!" yelled Miroku, purifying demons with sutras and with his staff, "You could destroy this cavern with your windscar and kill all of us!"

Inuyasha spat at the ground, lopping the head of an attacking low-level demon. "That bastard, Naraku. He brought us down here just so I couldn't use my sword's windscar. Coward!"

Inuyasha continued killing the demons, but at a slower rate than he was accustomed too. It was slowly wearing him out, just like it was the rest of the gang. Sango was now using her Hiraikotsu as a club, swinging it around at any nearby demons. She was too tired to throw it. Miroku was out of sutras and was doing what damage he could with his staff. He could not use his wind tunnel as there were Saimyosho along with the demons and the situation was not yet desperate enough to sacrifice himself…yet. Kagome seemed to be the only one not feeling the fatigue. She was shooting arrow after arrow. The rest of the group was too busy to notice that these arrows were so much more powerful than her normal ones. They were purifying whole sections of the demons, reducing their numbers greatly. Naraku ordered Kanna and Kagura to move in and attack. Distract Kagome with her friends having their souls sucked so that Naraku could kill her in front of Inuyasha, who was being held back by Kagura- that was the plan.

Kanna held her mirror forward, drawing Miroku and Sango's souls from their bodies forcibly. They began to fall to their knees, Shippo slapping their faces trying to get them to wake up. Kagome tried to make her way over to them, but a horde of demons got in her way, momentarily blocking the pair from sight as she purified them. When she was able to see them again, it was just in time to see a pink streak of a purification arrow, hitting Kanna's mirror and causing it to break.

"Oh..." was all Kanna said before disappearing- she was no use in battle without her mirror, so she had probably returned to Naraku's castle.

Everyone's head turned to see Kikyo arriving in the room, bow still drawn and held up from shooting the arrow. Sango and Miroku's souls returned and they stood to resume the fight, panting heavily.

Inuyasha jumped back from where his sword was locked with Kagura's fan. He had been attempting to get to Kanna and kill her when Kagura had attacked him with her blades of wind.

"Kikyo, so glad you could make it," said Naraku, smiling evilly.

"Do not waste your pleasantries with me, Naraku," Kikyo returned, coldly and bitterly.

"Very well, I shall just kill you!" With that, three sharp tentacles flew forward faster than anyone could react to and buried themselves in Kikyo's clay body. Inuyasha tried to run towards her, but more tentacles flashed out, driving themselves all the way through Inuyasha's mid section and pinning him to the cavern wall. Kagura stepped in front of Kagome, keeping her from Kikyo as well. The group could only watch as the tentacles dug deeper into her body, widening the hole in the clay. Kikyo finally found the strength and concentration to purify Naraku's tentacles, but it was too late. Her body still crumbled as her collected souls rushed out of her body. The last soul to leave was part of Kagome's. Kikyo's final breath was, "Inuyasha..." before her body turned to dust and was blown away by an unseen wind. Inuyasha screamed, "Kikyo!" at the spot where she had been only moment before. Kagome's face was illuminated as the part of her soul that had originally been stolen by Kikyo flew at her and entered her body. Kagome felt more complete than she had been in years. Her senses seemed to sharpen as she saw past Naraku's barrier constantly around his being. She saw the almost complete jewel shard in the left side of his chest. With Inuyasha so injured, it was her turn to use her new powers to destroy Naraku.

"Naraku! Your battle is with me now!" she called out boldly in uncharacteristic anger.

"Pathetic, human priestess. You were never as strong as Kikyo, and look what I did to her."

"Maybe you just have misjudged my power," retorted Kagome, finally revealing the hidden power within her like taking a basket from off the flame of a candle.

Only Miroku could tell that she had done such, feeling her near palpable powers coming to the surface within easy reach of the priestess before him. He had never realized she held such power. Naraku gave smile, meaning he could feel her dramatic increase in power. If he had felt Kagome's power, Miroku thought, he would surely be retreating, not trading vicious taunts with this seemingly weak individual.

Naraku turned to Inuyasha, still pinned to the wall, his eyes out of focus from the loss of blood and Kikyo. "Inuyasha, see what you get? I made you watch Kikyo die by my hands and now you must watch Kagome do the same. You're too weak Inuyasha, to have found either of their love. You can't protect them from me." Inuyasha's eyes suddenly focused from hearing Naraku's taunts, finding a second wind from the need to protect Kagome. He began fighting at the tentacles pinning him and the one holding his sword from doing any damage. His broke his sword free from the tentacles' grasp and used it to cut Naraku's tentacles holding him to the cavern wall.

He landed on the ground just in time to see Naraku's tentacles shoot out at Kagome.

"Ah, too late Inuyasha. You'll just have to watch her die," taunted Naraku

"You bastard-!" shouted Inuyasha, preparing to use his windscar, even if it would kill them all.

He was stopped by Kagome's voice, "Don't Inuyasha! I can take care of myself."

Inuyasha watched with baited breathe as Naraku's tentacles headed straight for Kagome's heart. Inches before they connected with her flesh, Kagome erected a barrier around herself, destroying the tentacles.

Naraku now turned to face this girl. "A barrier," he said in surprise. Then his evil smile returned, "So you can protect yourself. Can you protect your friends?" With that, a gust of miasma along with pointed tentacle's stretched out and headed at Kagome's friends.

It was moving too fast to draw an arrow so Kagome quickly focus her purification powers on her hand, flicking her wrist in the direction that would intersect Naraku's attack. Naraku's eyes grew wide as he saw this, but had no time to stare in wonder as Kagome notched an arrow to her bow. The arrow was already glowing with purification powers before it had left the bowstring. Kagome shot it straight at Naraku's nearly complete jewel, hoping to purify it and Naraku's being. The arrow struck Naraku's barrier, shattering it and Naraku had just enough time to straighten his form up so that the arrow could only strike his abdomen, not the Shikon jewel. His body swirled in the air as it was purified, and then Naraku disappeared. Kagura watched in amusement as her despised master retreated. She followed suit, yet still hoping that this Kagome could finally put an end to Naraku. She disappeared as well.

"Is he dead?" asked Shippo uncertainly.

"No," answered Kagome turning to her surprised friends. She was already forcing her power back deep down inside her so that the outside world couldn't sense it. "He has just retreated."

"How do you know?" asked Miroku.

"Check your hand. The hole is still there," answered Kagome. She seemed sad.

"What's wrong?" Sango asked, worry in her voice.

"I just...couldn't save her. I may not have liked her, Kikyo, but I never wanted her to die."

The group passed into silence as they made their way out into the sunshine at the caves entrance. Inuyasha seemed even moodier than usual.

Finally, Inuyasha broke tee silence. "Fine, if no one else is going to ask. I will: What the hell was that back there?"

"What?" asked Kagome confused? She looked Inuyasha in the eyes and could see that he was on the verge of crying, he had just lost his Kikyo. But there was something else there. Feelings for her?

"That barrier and that thing you did with your hand. And your arrow. It was much stronger than usual."

"I guess my cover's blown. I've been secretly training my abilities. Here, watch." She placed a hand on the wound on his chest and he watched in wonder as if healed before his very eyes.

"Where are we going now?" asked Miroku.

"Kaeda's village, then to Naraku's castle. I can sense past his barrier now. We might be able to catch him before he fully heals."

Kagome started walking in the direction to Kaeda's village, but the rest of the group was still frozen in shock.

"Come on, then," Kagome ushered when she saw no one was following her.

**A/N: **Yeah, I suck at battle scenes. Oh, and sorry to those of you who like Kikyo. I hate her character, so she was written in and out of this one chapter. And just remember, I didn't _really_ kill her, as she was never _really _alive. I'll get the next chapter up soon.


	8. Chapter 8

-1**A/N:** Shh! Okay, so technically, I'm grounded from the computer, but what they don't know, won't hurt _me! _Word of advice, don't back-talk your mother, even if you're right.

**Chapter 8**

The east coast was bright and beautiful-untouched white sand, colorful seashells dotting the shoreline, and cold, crisp waves foaming on the water. The beauty was only minutely noticed by Sesshomaru. He was searching for a mountain off the coast and none of the locals had ever seen, or even heard of it before.

The dog demon walked in the cold, wet sand, looking out towards the ocean. He couldn't believe- no, he didn't want to believe that he had traveled all this distance to discover his destination, Mount Efil-Denahetaed, did not exist.

Turn his sight back inland, a rock formation in the distance caught his attention. The wind had chiseled away at the tall standing rock, leaving only two sheer sides and a hole through the middle, looking strangely like a gateway!

Sesshomaru approached the structure, now intently using every sense granted him by his demonic blood. He found that this area of ocean had no scent. The surrounding area smelled of moist salt and fish, yet here, nothing. "A barrier," thought the dog demon.

He now studied the stone structure. It stood like two pillars and a mantel piece, perhaps creating a door into the protected bit of ocean Sesshomaru hoped was the mountain. "But how to activate it?" growled Sesshomaru to himself. The dog demon's gaze shifted to the top of the "gate." there, on the mantel and weathered so much by the elements that Sesshomaru could barely read, "Entrance to the path to the top of the mountain. Speak path's name to enter."

"Niotami Rofstran," pronounced Sesshomaru confidently. The shielding barrier melted away, revealing a long narrow path over the ocean water leading to a green mountain on the horizon. Sesshomaru followed the path, stepping through the gateway.

O0o.o0O

Kagura was the last of Naraku's servants to arrive at Naraku's castle. Kohaku mindlessly guarded Naraku's door, his mind and free will belonging to Naraku. He had no sense of self, everything that he had been was blocked by the shikon jewel shard's power, embedded in his back and keeping him alive.

"Where's Naraku?" Kagura asked the boy. He didn't so much as blink.

"He is waiting for you," said someone behind the wind sorceress. Kagura turned to see Kanna slowly approaching the door, sill holding the broken mirror. Kagura silently wondered if the mirror was actually attached to the entirely white little girl emanating a false sense of innocence.

The door to Naraku's room slid open silently and Kagura entered the room, followed by Kanna. Naraku was in the room, or at least part of him was. The entire left side of his stomach just below the shikon jewel had been purified, leaving him unable to regenerate properly. The rest of his body seemed to float around inside his barrier, now erected to keep himself intact.

"Kagura, you take joy in seeing me in this state." It wasn't a question, just a harsh statement by the evil half-demon before her. Kagura stayed silent, knowing he could probably read her mind anyway.

"That priestess has grown powerful, powerful enough to see past even my barriers. She will lead Inuyasha and his gang to this castle." Naraku seemed to be talking more to himself than to those gathered.

Kagura saw a gleam of hope. If she could convince Naraku to let her kill the priestess, then she could instead insure she reached Naraku's castle and finished Naraku for good. She put on a face that she hoped seemed to be apologetic and suggested, "Then I will go and kill her before she reaches the castle, my lord."

Naraku's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Do not waste your breath with such a sugestion. You wish to see me dead ad this priestess has the power to purify me. You wouldn't even stand a chance against her, even if you were serious. No, I will send someone I trust more than you."

"Kanna? What can se do without her mirror?" asked Kagura, fishing for information to pass onto the Priestess Kagome.

"No, Kagura, I have a special job in mind for both you and Kanna." Naraku smiled evilly. Kagura face drained of all color as she forecasted her own demise from that evil smile.

"I will send someone Inuyasha and his gang are looking for," continued Naraku, "someone they will accept into their group without hesitation- the demon slayer's missing brother, Kohaku. As for you two, your usefulness outside my body has come to an end. I will absorb you and make my body whole again."

Kagura tensed and opened her fan to protect herself, but one of Naraku's tentacles ripped through it and continued to extend until it had wrapped itself around the wind sorceress, crushing the breath out of her. Kanna didn't resist as she had always had the morbid acceptance that she was no more than one of Naraku's tools. The small white girl allowed the tentacles to wrap around her, encasing her and then bringing her into Naraku's body. Kagura shared the same fate a few moments later and Naraku's next step was one of a whole, complete body. He examined his newly regenerated side in approval before sliding his door open and addressing Kohaku, "Kohaku, how would you loke to visit your dearly beloved sister?"

O0o.o0O

Sesshomaru was reaching the end of the path over the water and the mountain loomed before him. An old man sat upon a flat stone, his eyes closed in a meditative stance. He was an odd looking man: extremely pale skin, yet everything else was green- kimono, sandals, markings on his face and wrists, even the few hairs left on his balding head were a faded pale green.

As the dog demon approached, the man opened his eyes which Sesshomaru was not surprised to see were a dark forest green. As demonic as this man appeared, his ears were rounded in a humanoid fashion.

"And why would a demon seek out the path of Niotami Rofstran?" the old man asked, pure joy in his voice and eager curiosity on his face. 'Maybe he doesn't get many visitors…' mused Sesshomaru.

However, aloud he only said, "My business is my own." Sesshomaru ignored the man, looking up to see how tall the mountain was: a good day's march for a human, just a literal hop, skip, and a jump for a demon such as Sesshomaru. Yet the old man intruded in Sesshomaru's calculations.

"You may keep your business your own," considered the old man, but then he suddenly turned serious, "if you decide to turn back now. However, if you wish to continue along the path, you must make your business mine, for I am the guardian of this path. Sasarg is my name and I control everything along this path. Now, tell me your business."

"If you truly control everything, _guardian, _then I should kill you right now so that I can forego the upcoming dangers and trials," said Sesshomaru, eyes flashing dangerously while he flexed his clawed hands visibly.

"I do control everything," repeated the guardian with no fear in his voice, "but how would you kill me in your state?" Sesshomaru was only confused for a second before a wind picked up and seemed to blow right through the dog demon's body. He watched, eyes wide in shock, as his claws became no more than short fingernails; his demonic marks disappeared from his wrists and his hands flew up to his ears only to find round human ones. He then pulled a clump of his hair forward and was shocked to find it was a light chestnut color instead of his silver. Had he been able to see his eyes, he would've seen them fade from his demonic gold to a murky brown.

"I'm…" whispered Sesshomaru, unable to complete his own sentence.

"…human. Now tell me your business for coming to this path," finished the old man.

"What are you?" asked Sesshomaru, eyes narrowed.

"I am…complicated. Neither demon nor human and I'm not in between. I am ancient, even beyond the elders' memories, and I possess archaic magic. I guard this path against those to weak of heart or mind to bare it. Do you wish to take the path or what else could be your business here?"

Sesshomaru could see no other choice but to answer this guardian. He had to get to the top of the mountain now to save his own demon powers with the drink as well as accomplish his original goal. "I am searching for the tree of Emoceba Anomede. I wish to make the Drink of Anomede."

It was the guardian's turn to be shocked. "It has been many a century since a traveler has found this path, much less known of the drink. I had begun to believe it had passed out of knowledge of the living world. What would you do with Drink of Anomede? Take it to increase your own powers? Answer truthfully if you ever want your demonic powers back."

"I will not use it to increase my own powers. I will only ever use my own strength, never that of trinkets, shards, or drinks. I shall never dishonor my father's blood with such a scheme."

"Why then?" asked the guardian leaning forward as if he were about to hear a really juicy secret.

"There is a…woman."

"A human woman?" gasped the man.

"She is," answered Sesshomaru shortly, that heat of blush coming to his cheeks in an ever increasing familiar way.

"How romantic…even if it is in vain. The drink will take too long to ferment. She will die before she is a demon." The guardian sighed, staring into open space as if he could see old memories before his eyes.

"Let me worry about that," replied Sesshomaru coldly, effectively snapping Sasarg out of his reverie.

"So you wish to continue?" asked the guardian joyfully, then, without giving Sesshomaru time to answer he said, "I give you permission to begin the path…and its tests. If you come out alive, you will be both stronger and wiser than one went in. If you do not make it, I shall toss you into the ocean as a burial."

"What are the tests?" asked Sesshomaru, not as confidently as before as he was now a human, not a powerful dog demon.

"They are different for each, based upon your faults. You have searched all your life for an ultimate battle so that you can achieve ultimate power. I have seen it in your soul. You have fought your brother over your father's sword and have always wished your father wouldn't have died, just because you wanted to face him in battle. Your greatest weakness is you focus too much on finding this ultimate power that you ignore the people around you. You care too much for your reputation and your abilities that you forget to truly live. I will not tell you how to live to life's fullest. You must discover that for yourself along the path to reach its end. Therefore, for your tests along this path, you will lose what abilities you have now. You will become powerless. Along the path are three posts. At each post, one of your abilities will be stolen away, just as your demonic powers were. Between these poles are dangers you must face. If you survive to the end of the path and find the top of the mountain, touch the tree of Emoceba Anomede and your abilities shall all be returned to you, even your demonic powers. You may choose to turn back from the path at any time, but know that if you turn back, you will not have any or your lost abilities returned. I will let you live, but you will never be able to rewalk the path. That is all I will say of your journey. You must discover the rest for yourself. Do you choose to take the path?"

"I shall never turn back," replied Sesshomaru, his familiar coldness returning to his voice.

"Then begin your journey…" said the guardian Sasarg, his body disintegrating, seeming to dissolve into grass blades swirling away in a sudden gust of wind.

O0o.end of chapter.o0O

**A/N: **That's all for today. I hope I haven't made it too confusing. The next chapter will probably answer a lot of questions you have about this Path of Niotami Rofstran. So, I'll see you next chapter…hopefully. Be sure to drop a line in the review box on your way out.

_Tiki Rane Gobell_


	9. Chapter 9

-1A/N: Hey! Guess what! At last count, there were 43 reviews for this story! Thank you to all those who reviewed! I really wasn't expecting that many, especially if my English class papers' grades were any scale to judge it by. Thanks again!On a completely different note, I would like to inform you that if I had titled this chapter, I would call it 'Humanity 101: Sessy's Crash Course.' He'll be out of character because, well, remember, he's human now, not demon. That'll probably change your character, just a bit. If Sesshy's not going to change his outlook on life, I'll do it for him. Enough of my ranting and along with the show!

**Chapter 9**

Kagome suddenly stiffened, searching out mentally. The group was almost to Kaeda's village where they had planned to rest before heading out to Naraku's castle. They would be led by Kagome who could, at last, sense the Shikon Jewel through all of Naraku's barriers. But now she stopped walking- she had suddenly sensed something.

"Kagome?" asked Shippo from her shoulder, causing the rest of the group to turn around to face her.

"I just…I wasn't paying it any attention before…and now….I think he's in trouble….or maybe he's attacking," muttered Kagome, still fazed out from the rest of the group.

"Kagome! What are you trying to say?" barked Inuyasha, not angry at Kagome, but worried for her.

Kagome seemed to come to herself, "I sense Kohaku's jewel shard. He's pretty close and heading our way. I think he's running away from Naraku…or…he could be attacking with Naraku's horde of demons. I'm not sure, I only just sensed it, I was, er, not paying much attention," she finished weakly. True, she hadn't been paying attention to Naraku and his minions, yet she had been paying attention- focused on searching for a certain demon lord's aura. She couldn't sense Sesshomaru's aura anywhere and was beginning to worry.

"Kohaku?" whispered Sango tentatively, staring at the woods surrounding her as if he were hiding behind one of the trees. Miroku closed his eyes until he could feel the evil demonic aura approaching with speed. There was definitely a horde of demons coming in fast. Inuyasha sniffed the air, catching both the scent of the demon horde and Naraku.

They all stood around nervously until Kagome suggested, "Let's go see what's happening. We may be able to help." The group nodded as one and Kirara transformed allowing Miroku and Sango to travel on her back. Kagome took her place on Inuyasha's back, though it no longer felt so…intimate to her. Now, it was just a necessity to be able to travel faster.

The group took off towards the speeding demonic aura. Inuyasha stopped just outside a clearing, Kirara landing beside him to figure out exactly what was going on.

They didn't have to wait long before Kohaku broke into the clearing, his clothes ripped and tattered. He tripped and fell, adding more scratches to his already battered body. He stumbled back to his feet, looking fearfully behind him as the demon horde entered the clearing, gaining on him. He began running again, his breathing frantic and Inuyasha could hear the boy's heart pounding in his chest. Miroku was restraining Sango from running to her little brother.

"Wait," mouthed Miroku to her.

Kohaku tripped and fell again, the demon horde getting closer, now upon him.

"Trying to run, boy? We shall eat you!" hissed a flying centipede-like demon, diving for the boy.

Hiraikotsu!" yelled Sango, throwing her boomerang as soon as Miroku released her. Her weapon flew through the air, ripping off the centipede's head. The rest of the demons paused from shock at the first death. Inuyasha jumped into the clearing, drawing his Tessaiga. He landed between Kohaku and the horde of demons.

"You're all going to die! Wind Scar!" threatened Inuyasha, swinging his sword and releasing the wind scar. The powerful attack blasted apart all of the attacking demons.

Sango ran to her brother as Inuyasha sheathed his sword. To the surprise of them all, Kohaku ran to meet Sango yelling, "Sister! I finally broke free of Naraku!"

Later that night, the gang plus Kohaku were sitting in Kaeda's village eating ramen. Kohaku was explaining his story. "Naraku came back to the castle in pieces. He couldn't regenerate due to the purification. Being as weak as he was, he finally lost control of my mind. I finally came to myself and ran for it. Naraku was too weak himself to follow me, so he sent that horde of demons after me instead. I'm really free of him Sister!"

"Kohaku," said Sango, her voice no more than a squeak as she tried to keep her voice even. Tears began to splash down her cheeks as she gathered her little brother in her arms, hugging him tightly.

"Humans are so pathetic," grunted Inuyasha before turning away from the scene and closing his eyes to sleep.

Kagome sighed at his back while Miroku sighed at Sango, just wishing he could be in Kohaku's place at that moment.

O0o.o0O

"How do humans live this way?" growled Sesshomaru to relieve his stress. He had followed the path only to find that, instead of going up the mountain, it traveled downwards until it came to a near sheer cliff face. He was currently pulling himself up it, sharp hand-hold by sharp hand-hold. The rough rocks had torn his skin away, leaving raw skin. He had already wasted hours of the day climbing and his once useful and beloved swords hung from his waist now hindering him rather than helping. He put his hand up to find his next hand-hold and found it completely flat. That meant he had reached the top of the cliff, finally. He pulled his sore body to the top and collapsed to the ground thinking, "So this is what it feels like to be human. So much pain and so many intense emotions." Yes, Sesshomaru had been hit by human emotions. First, he had felt determined, then he began to feel frustrated as he climbed. Now, he was on the verge of anger as he had just wasted so much time to only progress about 30 feet up the mountain vertically. He tried to calm himself down so that he could think rationally. All he could think was, "This is unbecoming of a demon, especially these emotions."

He fell into an uneasy slumber and awoke feeling stiff near dark. He ripped part of his kimono off and tore it into two long shreds. He used these to bandage his hands and protect them from…well…he didn't know what yet. He continued on his way, starting to feel how heavy his feet were, and longed to kick off his ankle-high boots, yet he resisted this urge and kept pushing himself to make it to the first pole. He would rest there, he promised himself.

The path now rose to a steep slope, and Sesshomaru pushed himself doggedly on. He finally reached the first pole and saw Sasarg waiting for him. The once-great-dog-demon flung his human body to the ground.

"So, you have survived your first day as a human. Have you learned anything yet?" asked the guardian.

Sesshomaru nodded, "Humans are so frail. It amazes me that they even dare to venture out of their own homes."

"So, in other words, you are amazed at what humans have accomplished, even though they are so weak. They do not let fear keep them from living," summed up the guardian, earning him a dark glare from Sesshomaru. "Now, you have reached the first pole. I'm sure you've been anxious to know which of your feeble human abilities I will take. Yes? I will take the one you have relied on the heaviest so far- your ability to see!"

"What!" yelled Sesshomaru, once again unable to control his emotions due to the now human blood in his veins. Before he could get in another word, however, that strange wind picked up again and seemed to rush through his very body. When it had passed, Sesshomaru was staring into a world of blackness. He tried to blink the darkness away, but everything was still a blanket of nothingness. He was now human AND blind!

Sasarg the guardian informed him, "Oh, and by the way, the path next leads through the trees. Be sure to stay on the path, for the creatures in the woods are not all friendly. Learn to trust your other senses."

Sesshomaru felt a small swirling of wind and imagined that the guardian had once again disappeared. On a logical train of thought, he bent down and felt out for some lose rocks to point the way to take on the path, so that when he woke up the next morning, he could be sure he was heading in the right direction. He fell into and uneasy and cold sleep, in which he dreamed of Kagome mating with Naraku.

He awoke abruptly and felt the sun warming his body. His dream still haunted him. He couldn't explain why, but he felt some sort of anger. "This must be jealousy," he told himself, "How irrational to feel this way when I know she would never do that." Yet now a feeling of doubt hung over him as he felt for the rocks he had placed before he had fallen asleep.

He continued along what he hoped was the path. The path itself seemed to be more smooth with small gravels on it. At it's first curve, he accidentally stepped off the path, but instantly knew it as he stepped on the dewy grass. Suddenly, he felt that he might be able to get to the top after all. Not having sight wasn't too bad- until he came to the trees. Without warning Sesshomaru walked right into a tree. If he had had sight, he would've seen it growing in the middle of the path. However, he did not and as a result, he was now picking himself up off of the ground, rubbing his rear indignantly. "What do I care if I look weak? Who is around to judge me now?" he reassured himself. This time he continued along the path, stepping around the tree. He put his hands out in front of him to ward off anymore trees. Yet, no matter how sure he was that there was no tree in his next step, he always hit another tree. His nose was hurting, as was his pride. He fell down three more times before concluding that the trees were moving. He decided to focus his remaining senses. Taking a deep breath, he caught the smell of the trees bark. It had a woodsy scent, mixed with dirt, and fall leaves. He had never noticed that trees had a scent before. He also noticed that the scent seemed to swirl slowly, adding more evidence to his theory that the trees were actually moving. Next, he brought his hands back to his body-no longer were they fanning out looking for trees he might hit. They lay by his sides casually. Sesshomaru concentrated on sensing the trees- not in the ordinary way. No, he was feeling for the warmth off their bark, letting it hit his skin until he had a mental image of the woods around him. He now began stepping forward again, this time being able to sidestep the trees, moving or not. He continued on his way until he heard a rustling behind him.

His ears strained until he caught what it was saying, "A traveler has wandered off the path. How unfortunate for him. If he continues the way he is going, he shall fall into one of our traps and we will eat him."

Now that Sesshomaru's ears were straining, he could hear more voices in the woods. He silently cursed himself for not staying on the path, but in the woods, there was no difference between the surface of the path and of the forest floor. He listened to the other voices.

"He hears us now. Let us lead him back to the path."

More voices called out in front of him, "Here! Come this way! We shall lead you back to the path!"

Sesshomaru almost obliged and followed the voices until he remembered the guardian's warning of the evil creatures. He also remembered the earlier voice saying something about a trap up ahead.

"I will not trust you creatures," he called out into the woods. He heard the voices laughing at him.

They continued speaking, "Don't you understand? There is no path _through _these woods. You may stumble around in the dark till you die of hunger and thirst or you could follow us now and die a quick death."

"I shall never give up," replied Sesshomaru coolly. The voices laughed again.

"Yes you shall. Death will force you to." They continued to laugh, but stopped abruptly when a stout wind blew through the forest. Sesshomaru could smell grass in the air.

"Sasarg. Is that you?" he called out.

"Indeed it is. So you've strengthened your senses. Good for you. Not many people ever get this far into the trees. Most of them only get a couple of feet." Sasarg was taking too much joy in his pain, Sesshomaru decided.

"Guardian, where is the path? There is a path right?"

Sasarg sighed, "No, there never was a path through the trees. You must make your own path. Listen to the voices that you trust. They come from your own mind. I hope you know at least one person you trust, but judging by that expression on your face, you've never trusted anyone with your life, or less. You must learn to trust someone if you are to make it through these woods alive. If you make it through, you'll find another pole on the other side."

With that, the wind picked up again and Sesshomaru knew he was by himself again, except for those voices and the creatures they belonged too. He tried focusing again, trying to find a voice he trusted.

"My Lord," said a voice behind him. It was Jaken. "My Lord," he repeated, "Why do you stand such trials for a human? It is beneath you. Go back, my lord. Save yourself, don't worry yourself over their sakes. Come back this way and turn away from them."

"Sesshomaru!" came Inuyasha's voice from his right, "You kissed Kagome! You bastard! She's mine! Come this way and I'll show you a sure way out. You lying, cheating, stealing bastard! I'll kill you myself, just come this way!"

"Lord Sesshomaru! Will you remember me when I die? Come Lord Sesshomaru, I can show you a tree! A tree that will allow me to stay with you forever! This way!" It was Rin's voice, he took his first step in her direction, to the front and a bit to the left. He continued to follow her voice, finding himself stumbling less as she led him through the trees. But then he came to a ravine. He almost fell as his foot tried to step into air. He pulled himself back from the edge quickly.

"Rin?" he called out into the woods. All the other voices were still calling his name and directions for him to follow. He tried to focus on her voice, but all he could hear was her sobs. "What's the matter Rin?" he asked.

Rin answered pitifully, "I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru! I'm not strong enough to save you! I don't know how!"

"That's why I'm here," said a new sweet, soft voice.

Sesshomaru couldn't explain why it comforted him so much. "Kagome?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Of course it's me silly. Why would I not be here? Do you not trust me?" asked Kagome voice.

Sesshomaru thought about it, and suddenly realized that, without a doubt and by no logical explanations, he undeniably trusted Kagome. "I do trust you," he whispered.

"With your life?" she inquired. All his focus was on her voice now. He didn't even recognize that the other voices were still speaking to him.

"With my life," he answered.

"Then jump," she commanded.

"Jump?" he asked skeptically.

"I thought you said you trusted me. Jump!" Kagome's voice said sternly.

Sesshomaru took a deep breath and jump into the ravine. He felt the air go by him on his way down, stopping quite abruptly as his feet hit the bottom. The 'ravine' had only been about four feet deep, and had he been able to see, he would've called it a ledge, for it had no other side leading back up and he was now standing back on the path. He could feel its gravel beneath his feet. He began to smell the air, walking forward slowly. He was defiantly out of the woods now, he could no smell the trees' bark, and the voices had disappeared.

"Over here!" he heard Sasarg calling him. He walked towards him. The guardian looked him over. "I'm impressed," he said, "Not many have ever made it to the second pole, and you're the first blind human to ever do such. What have you learned?"

Sesshomaru's old coldness came back, and he refused to answer, choosing to remain silent than to speak of his realization in the woods. It would hurt what was left of his pride to have to say it aloud.

"Oh, not this again," scorned the guardian, "Remember, I control everything. Speak now before I choose to take even more away from you or make the path more complicated."

Sesshomaru closed his blind eyes while speaking, as though it would make everything go away, "I must be going soft to say it, but I learned that I have people in my life that I trust. Are you happy now?" said Sesshomaru all very quickly sounding a lot like Inuyasha. "Stupid human emotions," he cursed himself silently once more.

"Ah, so you did," chirped Sasarg, obviously happy. "You also learned the value of an ability you took for granted before- sight. AND you strengthened your abilities of smell, hearing, and touch, even if it was unconsciously done so."

"How do you know?" asked Sesshomaru.

"I can read your soul, and your mind, even your memories."

"Then why did I have to tell you what I learned if you already knew?" bitterly asked Sesshomaru.

"Because I want you to admit it to yourself out loud. Any more questions before I take your next ability away?"

"Just a few, like, what were those things in the woods?"

"Those were creatures created by me who could take on the voice and form of people in your memory."

"What is the next danger?"

"I can't tell you that. IT would ruin the..um...surprise."

"Then, what is the next ability you're going to take?"

"Your ability to smell, of course."

"Of course," repeated Sesshomaru bitterly. "Just one more question then."

"Ask away!" exclaimed the guardian.

"Where can I find some food? I'm starving," said Sesshomaru, his stomach giving a sudden grumble in agreement. He had been trying to ignore the human's need for 3 square meals a day, but now he could no longer stand the feeling of emptiness. He also had a raging thirst.

This seemed to amuse Sasarg. "I'm afraid I have none with me, but there is food at the end of this trial. Humans can go 18 days without food. You'll be fine for a while. And if that's all, then I'll be taking your ability to smell."

The wind blew through and Sesshomaru was left alone, now only able to hear, speak, and feel. He started following the path again, seeing no reason to pause as it would only make him focus on his hunger. So, he continued on the path that went at a steady inclining angle until the noise of water reached his ears. He stumbled along, his weariness leaving him as he found a fresh steam to fuel himself. He fell to his knees at the water's edge, scooping up a mouthful of water and bringing to his mouth.

After satisfying his thirst, he rested by the side of the stream, though by the sound of it, was more of a mess of swirling rapids. The path had ended by its bank, so he assumed that must mean that he had to cross the flowing water to find the rest of his path. He ears listened to the melody of the waters, crashing on rocks and swirling around them. "That must be it," he thought. He had to cross over the stones in the rapids to get across. He stood back up and turned his ear towards the water. The peak of the waters crashing should be on the edge of the stone- a small jump to the first one, he judged. Taking a leap of faith, quite literally, he landed on the sleek stone, nearly losing his balance and falling into the swirling water. He took a deep breath and listened for his next jump, this time prepared for the slimy surface, lest he would fall. He slowly made his way over the broad stream, which he had decided must really be a river. The further he went, the faster he caught the sound of the water crashing around the rocks and the better his balance became. Soon, he was nearly gliding from rock to rock carefree. He reached the opposite bank some time later, quickly finding the path again, well, quickly for a blind human with no sense of smell.

"You still hungry?" asked Sasarg all of a sudden, spooking Sesshomaru who couldn't smell him in the air. Sesshomaru nodded, following the voice of the guardian. The old man continued, "I thought so. You have made it across the river. I must say I'm impressed once again. You picked up on the stone thing quite quickly, perhaps I underestimated you when I set up this challenge. Never fear. There will be plenty more chances to challenge you in the path ahead. But now, you may eat. There are two whole bushels of apples here."

Sesshomaru searched around when his hands until he came in contact with the basket and then the plump, firm fruit. He grabbed one and went to take a bite but was stopped by Sasarg, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the guardian warned.

"Why not?" asked Sesshomaru, barely able to keep his hungry lips away from the fruit.

"Apples have a way of attracting bugs..worms and such. I just happen to know that all of the apples in these two bushels have insects crawling within them," informed the old man.

"Is that all?" asked Sesshomaru nonchalantly, so hungry, a few bugs would taste good. He again went to take a bite only to have Sasarg interrupt him again.

"No, that is not all. The worms in the apples are poisonous. One bite, and you'd be dead in a few hours. Take my word for it, I created them," finished Sasarg smugly. Sesshomaru threw the apple away from his mouth. He wasn't feeling too hungry anymore.

"Why did you show me the apples if I can't eat them?" asked Sesshomaru angrily, what little patience he had was now gone.

"Let me finish," responded the guardian, "Anyway, as I was saying, all of these apples have poisonous worms in them, all except one. Consider it a challenge. I'll see you when you're through."

Sesshomaru was left alone with a grumbling stomach and two bushels of delectable apples he couldn't eat. "How unfair," he thought, grabbing one of the bushels and pulling it towards him, wondering what would be the best way to distinguish them.

First, he separated them into three piles on the basis of how firm they were. The squishy ones got marked off the list and thrown into one pile, medium ones were thrown in another pile and the really firm ones had their own pile as well. Then Sesshomaru went through the abilities he had left: he had already used the ability to feel, or touch; he still had the ability to speak, though that wasn't helping him any, and the ability to argue wasn't getting him anywhere either. He silently wondered if he might be able to shout at the apples. It might not help him find the right apple, but it would make him feel better at least. Pushing that thought aside, he came to the conclusion that the only ability he had left of any use was his sense of hearing. Maybe the bad apples sounded different than the one good one.

He tentatively put an apple up to his ear, already aware of how stupid he looked. He allowed his breathing to settle as his tried to find anything out of the ordinary. Seconds, went by, maybe minutes even, yet he intently listened to the apple. He could hear...munching. He could hear the worm eating away at the inside of the apple. His heart leaped for joy at his discovery. He threw that apple away, turning to the pile of the firmest apples. He did the same thing for each of them, yet in the end, he had thrown all of them away.

Now he turned to the pile of medium firmness. One by one, he threw each of them away too. So it was down to the pile of mushy apples. All this work for one mushy apple. He found it on his third try, yet checked the rest anyway, just to be sure. The apple felt bruised yet Sesshomaru got ready to hungrily take a bite out of it until-

"Sir, please mister. Could I have your apple? I'm so hungry mister." It was a small boy's voice yet it reminded Sesshomaru of Rin.

Sesshomaru was not fazed. There couldn't be a real human child up here. Sasarg had told him that he was the first in centuries. Besides, he was hungry too, and he had been the one to do all the work to find this apple. Yet the child went on whining and pleading.

"Sasarg, quit the games," ordered Sesshomaru fiercely.

"Oh, I'm not playing," answered Sasarg, coming in on a wind. "I nabbed him from a local village when you completed the last challenge with such ease. A little urchin he is, and very much alive and real...for now. I expect he won't last another day if he doesn't get something to eat soon. Could you live with the fact that you had the chance to save this little boy's life and you let him die?" inquired Sasarg.

Sesshomaru thought about it while he licked his lips. He could live with it, he was pretty sure he could, but then, if he actually accomplished what he had set out to do, what next? He would turn Kagome into a demon and then take her as his mate. What would he tell her of his journey? "I let a little boy die so that I could eat an apple and continue along the path?" The thought just turned his stomach in something he imagined must be guilt. These human emotions were still so new, so different. He wished for his demonic control over them to be returned so badly.

Finally, he had made up his mind, handing the apple to the little boy while asking Sasarg, "So, how long did you say a human could go without food?"

Sesshomaru couldn't see the guardian's smile as he answered, "May you never have to find out. Eat, there is now a full meal in front of you. I shall return the boy to his village now."

Sesshomaru was left in the silence of nature as he ate the best-tasting meal he had ever had. He soon fell asleep on a full stomach, thinking about a new type of pride he found in himself- the pride that he a done the right thing without expecting any profit to come from it. He was coming dangerously close to creating a conscience.

Sesshomaru awoke the next morning Sasarg's humming.

"Stop that infernal noise," growled Sesshomaru, trying to stretch out the soreness in his limbs.

"Ah, you're awake! You had no idea that you were sleeping right next to the third pole, did you? No, of course not," Sasarg answered himself not giving Sesshomaru time to respond. The guardian continued, "Well, welcome! Now, that you have had time to sleep on it, can you tell me what you learned since the second pole?"

Sesshomaru moaned, yet answered tonelessly anyway, "I learned that there is more than one kind of pride."

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Sasarg, "and I didn't have to threaten or beat it out of you. You have always shown pride, in your heritage, in your blood, in your powers. However doing the right thing, such as giving up your apple to save the little boy, gives you a deeper, more meaningful, earned pride. It's a pride you can have in yourself for the decisions you've made. Okay, so now you have one stretch of the path to finish. I'm sure you've realized the pattern of the trials by now: each part of the path tests and strengthens one physical aspect of your body while teaching you a new emotional skill. The first quarter of the path tested your brute strength, improving it, while teaching you to be more understanding of humans and their faults. Then, you lost your sight, and you had to improve you sense of hearing, smell, and touch to get you through the trees. You also had to consider what trusting someone with your life would mean. Next, you lost your sense of smell and saw vast improvements in your hearing and balance which allowed you to make it across the river. Then you arrived at the apples which taught you another form of pride and sparked something near a conscience, if I'm not mistaken. The last quarter will not follow this pattern. It will test your heart and help you discover who you truly are, perhaps even re-evaluate your priorities in life. Now, it's time for you to continue on your journey, so you must lose another ability- hearing this time. Now you'll be human, blind, unable to smell, AND deaf. You will still be able to hear me though, if I decide to speak to you, that is."

The familiar wind picked up and soon the world was completely black, odorless, and silent for Sesshomaru. He stood back up and searched for the soft gravels of the road under his feet. Finally finding it, he continued on his way.

O0o.o0O

Kohaku was awoken in the middle of the night by a gentle buzzing. He looked around to find its source and found some Saimyoshu above him. They were holding something. "My Kusarigama," he thought as he reached out to grab it. The instant it was in his hands, he felt a pulse in his back.

"Kill her," Naraku's voice whispered to him.

Kohaku's eyes glazed over as he stepped over his sleeping sister who turned in her sleep. He made his way to Kagome's sleeping bag. He raised the chain-blade weapon above his head, his hand shaking.

"Do it," whispered Naraku's voice again.

Kohaku closed his eyes as he brought the Kusarigama down on Kagome's heart. There was a soft cling of metal through flesh before Kagome's blood splattered onto the floor of the hut the group was sleeping in. She had never even woken up to feel the pain.

"Kohaku!" Sango's voice rent the night air in a ragged breath. "What have you done?" she asked desperately, hoping that she was just dreaming.

Her voice woke up the rest of the gang. As Inuyasha jerked awake, the smell of blood instantly met his nose. He jumped to Kagome's side, knowing it was too late already. He punch Kohaku into unconsciousness as he ran past. Inuyasha was in too much pain, too much grief. He had lost Kikyo just a few days before and now..."Kagome.." he whispered taking her cold, dead hand in his, "...I couldn't protect you..."

O0o.end of chapter.o0O

**A/N: **Hey! No flames! I got something up my sleeves. She's the main character right? I wouldn't leave her dead. I wouldn't be that cruel...or would I? I really have the power here...muhahahaha! You'll just have to wait and see. More reviews less wait. Hold on, before I go, I need to get out one more evil laugh: Muhaahahahhahhahaaha. clears throat Now I'm good. Catch ya later, _Tiki Rane Gobell_


	10. Chapter 10

-1**A/N:** I AM SOOOO SORRY! I usually don' t make ya'll wait so long for an update and I didn't want to on a cliffy...BUT...I had too. School started for me once again, along with sports and HW and I haven't had any free time to write. Okay, enough of my excuses, here's the next chapter.

**Chapter 10**

Sesshomaru was lost and confused. He had no sight, no hearing, and he couldn't even smell the air he was taking into his lungs. At first, Sesshomaru had been able to follow the path just by feeling the gravel beneath his feet. It had run straight and even for the first bit, but now it was no longer under his feet. He must've stepped off it by accident, he thought. When he tried to retrace his steps, he couldn't find it again though.

He had grown aggravated when he finally heard Sasarg's voice in his head after a half-hour of trying to find the path again. "Hard, isn't it?" said Sasarg, "Stumbling around in the dark must be horrible for you. You've impressed me so far along the path and so I will help you now. This path is like a...physical representation of your life- you have the memories of the challenges and choices behind you, you know the path WAS there, but once you moved forward and accidentally lost your way, you could no longer turn back and change the moment when you first stepped off the path. And now what do you do?" Sasarg's voice was like a whisper in Sesshomaru's head. The whispered continued as Sasarg answered his own question, "You can only go forward. Think of the path before you as your future. If you go on with your life, and with your journey, you may still stumble across the correct path again. You may have a second chance, but never rely on it. The future is uncertain. Never leave anything undone, unsaid, unfelt...you might regret it all your life. There may be people that guide you, try to show you what their life was like to save you the trouble of having to discover it, just as your father tried to teach you to find someone to protect, and like I will lead you back to the path, but there comes a time when you have to make a decision for your life that no one can help you with. Now walk forward, back onto the path."

Sesshomaru took a few steps forward and felt the gravel beneath his feet once again. Sesshomaru cautiously but a foot forward-he felt the path end and grass beneath his foot. He felt around himself and discovered that he was at a branching of two paths forming a "V" shape before him. Both of the branches of the path proceeded forward, and he did not know which path to take to advance.

"Sasarg?" Sesshomaru beckoned for more help.

"Which path will you choose?" answered Sasarg's voice in Sesshomaru's head.

"Where do they each lead?" asked Sesshomaru wisely.

Sasarg chuckled, "Not even the wisest could tell you, not even I can. But I can tell you that this 'parting-of-the-ways' symbolizes a choice for your future. One can never know the complete outcome of a choice."

"Then what choices do the paths symbolize?"

"Now you're asking the right question, Sesshomaru. You must choose what path you will travel on now, based on how you want to precede in your life. The left path symbolizes your quest for the ultimate power. You have been walking upon that path for most of your life. Your priorities have always been and will always remain focused on finding an ultimate opponent and to increasing your power to its height."

"And the other path? What does it symbolize?"

"The path you fear to tread. A life of acceptance, of trust, to live life fully, to love someone to the point that you would die to protect them, or suffer just to see a smile on their face. It's an uncertain path, constantly changing, full of adventures- both small and great. Yet it is also the path of heartache and pain and troubles. It's a risky path."

"And how do I decide which path to take?"

"I can not help you there. The decision must be yours and only yours."

"But could you help guide me?"

"A guide can't choose for you either. It must be your own heart that decides. But I shall tell you this, so listen up: Think of your life thus far. If you died on this mountain, would you be happy? If not, then ask yourself which path you would prefer to die on. How do you want to be remembered and who do you want to remember you. Life is fragile, here on minute, gone the next. Would you die happy and fulfilled?"

Sasarg fell silent once again as Sesshomaru's mind raced. 'Death. I had never given it much thought before. Why should I have? I was a powerful demon, a Taiyoukai, death had been nowhere near my mind. But I'm human now, and weak. My life could easily end so suddenly. Would I be happy?'

Sesshomaru thought back on his life, when was he happy? His quest for power had left him cold and emotionless, alone and uncaring. He had ignored the people around him, killing anyone who got in his way. Happiness? He had never felt happy on his quest, merely determined. Happiness had come to him without him searching for it and had nothing to do with his power. He thought of Rin and her smile. He had met her when he was at his weakest, reduced to licking his wounds in a forest. She had made him happy, even if he never had showed it. She would never know that, because he had never told her.

Then he thought of Kagome, the clumsy yet irresistible priestess. She was so innocent, so happy, so pure, and so beautiful. She was the human girl that had given him back his arm and repaired the one thing he despised about himself. She didn't look down on him because he was a demon, or even on the fact that he had tried to kill her when they had first met. She even defended him against her brother when the young boy had said Inuyasha was nicer than the dog demon lord. She had no reason to stand up for him, he wouldn't have done the same for her at that moment in time. Now though, well...now he was on this mountain, struggling to reach the top for her. She didn't even know what he was doing for her, in danger, and could possibly lose his life. And it was all for her, so that she had the option of living with Sesshomaru forever. She didn't know, and it was entirely his fault. He had the feeling that she would've been by his side the entire time if he had told her. If he had just opened up to her, but now, he may never have the chance. It suddenly didn't matter to him if she was demon of not. He only wanted her by his side forever more. He didn't know why, or even how or when, but Sesshomaru had fallen for a human...and it didn't even matter to him. He loved her, though he couldn't exactly say why. "If only she knew," he berated himself. It had been his own selfish pride that had kept him from telling her. He had just kissed her and walked away. He didn't even allow her to tell him what she felt.

Now, he must choose a path, and he promised himself he would not regret it. Which path would he prefer to die on? A little morbid, yet the question evoked the correct frame of mind.

"I choose," he said aloud, knowing that this was the only decision that he would never forget, "to take the path on the right, to the uncertain end, dangerous yet exciting journey, and to live life to its fullest, as my father always wanted."

Sasarg's voice said, "I have looked into your heart and you have indeed chosen that path, with all of your being. May you never regret it. Now, step forward and touch the tree. Your journey is at it's end."

Sesshomaru did as the guardian's voice commanded and reached forward and felt the cold bark of the tree of Emoceba Anomede beneath his fingers.

His body pulsed with energy as his demonic powers returned and the world was once again full of color, sound, and smell. He saw his markings return and his claws grow out. His hair turned back to his silver, tucked behind pointed demonic ears, and his eyes brightened into their rich gold. The tree before him rustled in the wind. It had snow-white bark and only 13 branches. The leaves grew directly out of these branches, as there were no smaller sticks blemishing the bark's surface. And the leaves, such beautiful leaves. Each one was perfect, scarlet on top and a deep plum on the bottom with edgings and veins of gold. The leaves glittered in the moonlight as they hung graceful down. They were each a foot long and blade-like in their narrowness. They seemed to cover the tree like hair, making the tree seem more like a bush as it was barely taller than Sesshomaru.

Sasarg appeared beside the demon lord in his wind of grass and Sesshomaru turned towards him. "How did I come to stand by this tree? I could not have reached it yet if I had been following the path."

Sasarg smiled mischievously, "The path is more like a fluid than anything else. It changes its shaped based on what I see in my head. For each traveler it is different and for each it is a different length. You can only reach the tree if you can change your heart along the path into something pure and noble. If you had realized your true self on the first quarter of the path, you would not have needed to complete the other challenges. But don't worry over that. Pluck the leaves you came for and be on your way. I'd imagine you'd like to see some certain people after your time along the path."

Sesshomaru nodded, a feeling of happiness swelling his chest. He put an uncertain hand on his heart, worry written on his face.

Sasarg, with his ability to read the hearts and minds of all those upon his path answered Sesshomaru's unasked questions. "So you thought these human emotions would end once you got your demonic control over them back? It's not that simple. Think of the emotions like a really bad cold- once you have them, its hard to get rid of them. It's a whole lot easier to embrace how you feel and show your emotions to those that you care about."

Sesshomaru doubted Sasarg's advice. It wasn't easy to just suddenly start feeling everything and not be able to tune it out. He shook his head to clear it and then reverently plucked 13 of the flowing leaves, surprisingly soft and flexible. He made sure to get one from each branch as the eel demon had told him to. He tore off another piece of his Kimono and wrapped the leaves in it, storing them protectively in the front of his shirt. He was just patting the package more securely against his skin when the Tensaiga began to rattle and shake in his sheath. It seemed to be trying to lead him somewhere and fear, honest fear, pained Sesshomaru's heart. He somehow knew that Kagome needed him at that instant.

He gave Sasarg one last nod before allowing Tensaiga to pull him away, increasing its speed with his own demonic power.

O0o.o0O

Inuyasha was beyond tears beside Kagome's body. Her cold hand still in his. "This can't be happening. I must be dreaming. Kagome would never leave me, not forever," he thought, "I couldn't protect her. I promised to protect her and I still couldn't save her. I've lost her, just like I lost Kikyo." A sudden gust of wind blew the half demon's hair into his eyes.

He fought to get it out of his vision, yet his nose already told him that an unwelcome guest had come.

"Sesshomaru," he growled, seeing the full-blooded dog demon standing beside Kagome.

"Stay away from her!" shouted Inuyasha, hurtling himself toward his brother and drawing back his fist to punch Sesshomaru, desperate to protect Kagome, even after she was dead. Sesshomaru didn't even look at the half-demon as he caught Inuyasha's fist in his own. The demon lord was staring at Kagome, smelling her blood on the floor, eyes wide in shock.

Inuyasha hadn't given up, he twisted his body around to punch Sesshomaru with his other fist. The half-demon gasped when Sesshomaru caught his other punch as well, in another arm that Inuyasha had himself cut off. Sesshomaru threw Inuyasha across the room with ease and the half-demon slid down the wall. He slowly got back up and prepared to attack again, yet stopped when he noticed Sesshomaru pulling out his Tensaiga, the sword seemed to be rattling.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he searched for the demons of the afterlife, preparing Kagome's soul for death. With a quick flick of his wrist, he slashed all of them, destroying them. Sesshomaru knelt down beside Kagome as she began to stir. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo entered the hut. They had gone outside to give Inuyasha some privacy, but now they stared in shock, standing right beside the half-demon. They couldn't understand why the Prince of Ice had just saved their friend.

Kagome's eyes flickered open, taking in Sesshomaru's appearance, from his torn clothing to his look of concern. She smiled as she sat up and whispered, "Sesshomaru, I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."

"Never," said Sesshomaru, warmth in his voice that made Kagome smile even brighter. "Rest," he said, lightly pushing her shoulders back down to make her lay down.

She nodded but said, "Stay with me."

He took a hold of her fragile hand, it's warmth coming back quickly and responded, "I will."

Kagome closed her eyes so that she could go to sleep and Sesshomaru sat by her side, never letting go of her hand. He tenderly stroked her hair and she leaned into his touch. Sesshomaru allowed himself a smile before turning back to his half-brother.

"What happened?" Sesshomaru asked quietly, staring at his half-brother to answer.

Inuyasha fumed, "I was going to ask you the same thing! Since when has...that," he pointed at the pair, "been going on? Why is it there...anything between you two? You hate humans! And how the hell did you get your arm back?"

Sesshomaru shushed him, trying to keep the noise to a minimum so that Kagome could get some sleep. "That is all of no importance to you. I shall tell her before I tell you. You on the other hand, need to tell me what happened to her."

The rest of the gang had their mouths open in shock. They could not believe what they had just seen and heard. It seemed...impossible.

"Naraku deceived us. He set it up to look like Kohaku," Inuyasha pointed at the still unconscious boy on the floor, "was fleeing from Naraku. He's Sango's little brother, so we took him in and...in the middle of the night...he...he killed her," spat Inuyasha angrily.

Sesshomaru felt his old demonic coldness return as he made to get up from beside Kagome. He released her hand and began pulling himself up when he was pulled back down by Kagome grabbing his wrist. His hand had strayed to the hilt of his Tokijin and he had every intention to kill the boy. It was the same boy that had kidnapped Rin.

But Kagome wouldn't let him. She kept her grip on his wrist and tiredly dragged herself off the floor. Sesshomaru gripped her waist and helped her up as he himself stood up.

"I will not allow you to harm him, Sesshomaru," Kagome said, placing herself between the demon lord and the boy.

"I shall kill him. He has kidnapped Rin once and just killed you Kagome. I will not allow him to live to try it again," said Sesshomaru coldly.

"And yet I'm alive now and Rin is safe. Do not spill the boy's blood. It's not his fault!" pleaded Kagome.

"What would you have me do?" asked Sesshomaru, staring into Kagome's determined brown eyes.

"Don't kill him!" begged Kagome. "Release him from Naraku's control!"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Alright, I've never seen what happens in the beginning of this story done before, but maybe it has. I won't pretend to have read all the stories on ffnet so hopefully this will be something new, like fresh baked beans, not that whole leftover refried beans junk.

**Chapter 11**

"Don't kill him!" begged Kagome, "Release him from Naraku's control!"

"Is it possible?" asked Sango, her voice high-pitched from holding back her sobs.

Kagome turned to her and said, "I believe it is." She turned back to Sesshomaru, "But it will only work with your help."

Sesshomaru looked curious but said nothing, allowing Kagome to continue, "Kohaku is kept alive by the sacred jewel shard in his back. Naraku placed the shard there shortly after the boy's death. It is only through this shard that Naraku can pollute Kohaku's mind and gain complete control over Kohaku's body. The shard keeps Kohaku alive, but it also has preserved the boy's body and soul to that of a recent death. If I remove the shard from him, the boy will die, but, Sesshomaru, if you use your Tensaiga, you can bring him back to life. I get a jewel shard, Sango gets her brother back, and Naraku loses another servant and a bit of pride."

"What do I get?" inquired Sesshomaru, an unfamiliar gleam shining in his gold eyes.

"You get to test Tensaiga," said Kagome after a few moments of consideration, then whispered so lightly she knew only the demon lord could hear her, "and maybe a little something later."

Sesshomaru hid his amusement by becoming very interested in pulling Tensaiga from its sheath. "Very well," he said, "I will cooperate."

Kagome gave him a quick smile before rolling Kohaku onto his stomach so that she could get at the jewel shard in his back. Her fingers paused on the edges of the shard as the young priestess looked into the female demon slayer's eyes, "Sango, are you sure you want us to try? There are no guarantees that this will work."

Sango sniffed and crossed her arms, shivering despite the warm breeze in the air. Miroku put an arm around her shoulder for comfort, mercifully avoided her butt-al region. she leaned into him and hid her face in his shoulder saying a very muffled, "Yes. Try it. It's for the best."

Kagome nodded with resoluteness and dug the jewel fragment from Kohaku's back. The boy's body went completely limp and his breathing stopped, yet the body didn't disintegrate. "That's a good sign, right?" Kagome asked herself silently.

She quickly moved away from the body as Sesshomaru took a step forward, holding the Tensaiga out. The demon lord narrowed his eyes for the second time that night, searching for the embalmers of the afterlife.

Sesshomaru saw the unfortunate creatures and sliced them apart with his sword. He slid the Tensaiga back into its sheath and stepped back into the corner of the small hut- he had no want to be included in the forthcoming emotional reunion.

Kohaku opened his eyes and rolled over onto his back. There was a collective release of held breath from the room. Sango took a half-pace forward questioning, "Kohaku?"

"Sister, I'm sorry..." apologized Kohaku, but he couldn't say more as Sango rushed in to hug him.

A half hour later, Sango seemed to run out of tears of happiness and the group had moved outside to sit around a small campfire.

Kagome finally had the courage to ask Kohaku, "Do you remember anything from your time with Naraku?"

Kohaku gazed into the fire, sadness coming to his face, "I do. Many terrible things, both things I did and things Naraku did. He sent me here to kill you, Kagome. I didn't want to, but he forced me to. He has absorbed Kanna and Kagura into his body and he is as strong as ever. He will know by now that I failed and could be searching as we speak for a way to kill you."

"Is there anything more you can tell us?" asked Sesshomaru, speaking for the first time since he agreed to help. He was sitting by the fire next to Kagome, sneaking glances at her whenever he could. He longed for them to be alone. Inuyasha threw him a dirty look- not even the first one that night Sesshomaru had noticed. The half-demon kept staring from Kagome to Sesshomaru, seeing how they kept secretly looking at each other. While the others in the group were being nice to Sesshomaru since he helped bring Kohaku back, Inuyasha still had only animosity towards his older brother and it seemed to have increased since he had suspected there was something between the two.

Kohaku answered Sesshomaru question as Inuyasha thought of all the ways he'd like to kill the demon lord, "No. I know no more other than Naraku's castle does not stay in one place for more than a day. It makes it nearly impossible for people to find. I have no idea as to how Naraku plans to attack next, though I could warn you that he will specifically target Kagome. I think you've injured his pride."

Kagome gave a determined smile. "I'll do more than that by the time I'm through with him."

The group fell into silence. Kagome had said it all. They each knew what had to be done.

Finally Sesshomaru broke the silence. "If that is all that needs to be discussed, we will be leaving now."

"HOLD ON!" roared Inuyasha, breaking the once peaceful night, "Just who exactly do you mean by 'we?'"

Sesshomaru gave him a cold glare, "Myself and Kagome, of course."

Kagome's head popped up in surprise, yet she didn't look angry, just curious.

"And why should I let you take her? What right do you have?" spat the half-demon.

"I would think the reasons were obvious," replied Sesshomaru calmly. "Have you so easily forgotten tonight's events? Kagome died under what you call 'your protection.' Now, this boy has pointed out that Naraku will specifically target her again. I will take her with me and protect her to a better end. May I suggest asking her opinion in this matter instead of yelling at me?"

Inuyasha went wide-eyed and his gaze switched to Kagome. "Kagome?" he asked suddenly sounding lost and scared.

Kagome peered from her friends to Sesshomaru. She had been planning on leaving them, but now it seemed so hard. She knew she would miss them, even stubborn Inuyasha who had broken her heart with his inability to make up his mind on who he wanted. But if she stayed now, she knew she would regret it. Her heart yearned to be with Sesshomaru, and she couldn't even explain it to herself. Their relationship may had been rocky at first- that whole trying to kill her thing would do that to any relationship. But they had slowly become friends from their little unexpected meetings. He comforted her, perhaps not intentionally, but he did. And he saved her life at the river and encouraged her to become stronger. Then, he had kissed her. That had jolted their relationship up another notch. Her lips still desired to feel his lips against them once again. 'It could be lust,' she thought, 'but it just seems so much deeper than that.' She wanted to break this cold demon's emotional barrier, to see what others had yet to know was even there. She had seen his worry in his eyes as she awoke from death earlier that night. His eyes seemed to hold so much more emotion now than ever before. She would miss her friends greatly- that was only to be expected, yet she could still visit them again. However, she may only ever have this one chance with Sesshomaru, and she didn't want to miss it.

Kagome stared at each of her gathered friends in turn, silently telling them goodbye. They already knew her answer before she said, "I will go with Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru released a breath he had unconsciously been holding before standing up and extending a hand to help Kagome up.

She pulled herself from the ground saying, "Let me grab my bag and then we can leave." Sesshomaru nodded and reluctantly allowed her hand to slip out of his.

Shippo wouldn't give in so easily though. He fastened himself to Kagome's leg crying, "Kagome! Don't leave me!"

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru for approval. The demon lord considered it for a moment before he nodded, "I will allow the kit to come as well."

Kagome practically beamed at Sesshomaru, as she scooped the little kitsune into her arms and then picked up her bag. Sesshomaru's stomach seemed to flip as he watched the young woman. He could get used to her strange clothing, he thought silently. 'It may leave little for the imagination, yet it is strangely appealing.' He forced himself not to growl in possessive satisfaction as he turned to the surrounding woods. He paused long enough for Kagome to hug each of her friends goodbye, even Inuyasha he noticed with a twang of jealousy. The young priestess caught up with the demon lord and fell into step beside him.

Inuyasha watched his brother leave with a look of disgust on his face, "I can't believe she chose him," he said.

Sango's eyes were full of joy, "I think they're in love. I didn't see that one coming. I wonder how long it has been going on?"

Inuyasha growled and jumped up in a tree to sulk. "Love? Whatever, that monster of a brother has no heart to love with. He'll soon break her heart and she'll coming running back to us."

"Or rather, come running back to you, you hope," commented the monk, having to quickly dodge out of the way of a tree branch Inuyasha threw at him.

O0o.o0O

Naraku was sitting on the floor in the dungeon of his castle. He had just absorbed many new demons into his body to make it stronger. Saimyosho buzzed in front of him, communicating what they had witnessed.

Naraku's eyes flashed in anger, "So she has escaped death and lost me a servant? Despicable creature. She should have just died. Now, I'll have to torture her," he told the night air. He had a sudden idea, "Ah, I am still not without options. I shall kill that priestess, Kikyo's reincarnation. It seems fitting." He laughed evilly to himself and stood up to make preparations for his new plan.

O0o.o0O

They only traveled for an hour before Shippo fell asleep in Kagome's arms. His soft snores caught Sesshomaru's sensitive ears and the dog demon stopped and said, "We will camp here for a short time. The night is nearly over."

Kagome gently placed Shippo on the ground and erected a small barrier around him.

Sesshomaru noticed this and asked, "He means a lot to you?"

"He's like a son. I feel better just knowing that he's safe," answered Kagome, thoughtfully considering the sleeping kitsune.

"It was noble of you," Sesshomaru said.

"What was?" asked Kagome, genuinely confused.

"Saving the life of the boy that killed you."

Kagome blushed slightly from his light praise, "It wasn't his will, but Naraku's. I couldn't hold a grudge against someone who really meant me no harm."

"It was still noble."

"Was that a compliment? And from you to a human?" teased Kagome.

"Perhaps the closest thing to a compliment to a human that will ever be murmured from these lips," answered Sesshomaru, encouraging her tease.

"I don't believe you. I think you're really sympathetic, really, really, really deep down inside."

"I've killed demons and humans for insinuating less. However, I think I shall let it pass this time. I still remember the little deal you made me earlier and I'd hate to have to wait till the afterlife to collect on said deal."

"What deal was that, may I ask?" toyed the young woman, stepping tauntingly close to the demon lord.

"When I asked what was in helping the boy for me, I distinctly remember you saying that I might, 'get a little something later tonight.' I do believe right now is considered 'later tonight.'"

"Well, I do not ever recall _saying _such a thing. Do you have any witnesses to back up your claim? I believe I said that you got to test out your sword for helping the boy." She was dangerously close to the dog demon now and could feel his hot breath against her skin.

"You are absolutely correct," agreed Sesshomaru gently. "You didn't _say_ anything. You teasingly whispered it so only I could hear." He was nearly at her lips, they were locked eye-to-eye, each knowing exactly what the other one meant and wanted.

But Kagome wouldn't play that easy to get. She hovered her lips a hairsbreadth away from Sesshomaru's, "I suppose I did insinuate such a deal...but," she drew herself away from the dog demon, "I never said it was a promise."

Sesshomaru licked his lips, feeling a primitive instinct ripple through his body. He wanted her, and she seemed to know it and knew how to make him show it.

He voice was caressing, "Are you trying to tease me?"

"Maybe," answered Kagome, drawing near to Sesshomaru again and putting a puppy-eyed look on her face, "What is the punishment for my crime against the high Lord Sesshomaru?"

Now, Sesshomaru took it as his turn to toy with her, "I was going to let you off easy with a quick kiss, but now that you've committed such a crime against me, I'll have to think of something more severe."

She pressed her body against his, stealing a quick brush against his lips with hers and feeling his body quiver, "What did you have in mind?"

"I think I'll just have to show you," whispered Sesshomaru, sweeping her off her feet and then jumping deeper into the trees, landing in a isolated clearing.

"Why did you bring me out here?" asked Kagome as Sesshomaru set her back onto her feet.

"We wouldn't want to wake the kit," said Sesshomaru, gathering Kagome into his arms and wrapping his tail around both of them.

Kagome giggled, "I think I might like this punishment." All other words were put to an end as Sesshomaru captured her lips in a searing kiss that Kagome returned eagerly with interest, gliding her tongue across his lips and being granted entrance. Later, they tried a few more interesting things too.

O0o.end of chapter.o0O

**A/N: **Kinda a fluffy chapter, but ya got a have a few in a SessKag story. Yeah, they're going to try a few 'interesting things,' things that don't require shoes or a shirt for service. Okay, enough extended symbolism. The next chapter will probably be up next weekend, unless I can find some time to write this week.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Kagome opened her eyes to an unmercifully bright noon sun. She buried her face into Sesshomaru's shoulder and long silver hair to try to block out the light. Her memories of the previous night came back to her. She sighed happily even though she knew they had gotten a little carried away, but she felt no shame in waking up here, beside Sesshomaru. His long white tail was still wrapped around both of them, providing warmth against a chill breeze. She forced herself to open her eyes again and crawled onto Sesshomaru's chest. He was still asleep with a small smile on his lips. She kissed him gently to wake him.

His body tensed as he opened his eyes, but he relaxed again when he realized it was only Kagome and he returned her kiss. "Good morning," she whispered then she pulled herself up off the ground. Sesshomaru glanced at the sky and said, "or rather good afternoon."

Kagome nodded. She was searching for her clothes among the leaves and was about to redress when she felt Sesshomaru's hot breathe on her neck, making her shiver. He wrapped his arms around her and licked her neck in the spot where he had marked her as his mate by biting her. Kagome's entire body quivered and she dropped the clothes in her hand and turned around with every intention of repeating the night before until...

"Oh Kami! We forgot about Shippo!" She broke apart from Sesshomaru and hastily redressed saying, "He's probably out of his wits with worry, not to mention he's trapped within that barrier I put around him!"

Sesshomaru groaned as they were interrupted and slowly gathered his own clothes watching his new mate hurry away towards where they had left Shippo. He licked his lips which still tasted like her and put his Kimono back on, being sure to find the leaves to the tree that he had worked so hard to reach. He caught up with Kagome to find Shippo bawling in her arms. "Kagome!" the little fox demon cried, "I was so scared! I didn't know where anyone had went! Where were you?"

Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks, wondering, with some amusement at how she would answer.

"Uh..well...Shippo.." stumbled Kagome, trying to buy herself time to invent something G-rated for the kit's ears to hear- she didn't want to tell him that she and Sesshomaru had just had wild sex a forest clearing and were now officially mates. She settled for a evasive answer, "Sesshomaru and I were just out discussing our plans for the future."

Sesshomaru nearly laughed. Nearly. He was still Sesshomaru, the Taiyoukai and Lord of the West. Having spent several days as a human or not, he wasn't ready to completely change his behavior. He settled for a smirk of a smile. She was right, in a way. They had been making plans for the future, there just had not been as much actual 'discussion' as the raven haired young woman had suggested. His smirk grew wider with pride as he caught sight of the mating mark he had given her.

Shippo smiled and leaned in to speak in Kagome's ear, even though Sesshomaru could still hear every word. The kitsune whispered, "You two are mates now, aren't you?"

Kagome put a hand to her mouth in shock. She was sure her little adopted son shouldn't know about stuff like that yet. He was too young, around 7 in human years. "How did you know?" whispered Kagome back.

Shippo pointed at her forehead, "You have Sesshomaru's crescent. Mommy also had daddy's mark on her forehead when I was young and he always called her mate."

Kagome stopped panicking as she realized that her kitsune was still as naive as his age suggested. He was only repeating things others around him had said. But then the Kitsune's words sank in and she started panicking again. "I have what?" gasped Kagome, rummaging through her bag and pulling out a compact. Sure enough, there was a light purple crescent moon on her forehead.

"Why?" she asked Sesshomaru.

He gave a smug smile and replied, "To show that you are the Lady of the Western Lands now."

"Am I really that important? After all, I'm just a human."

"Your humanity is insubstantial and easily remedied."

"I'm not following you," frowned Kagome.

"Then you may lead," offered Sesshomaru, not sure why she had said something so random.

"No, that's not what I mean. In my time, that means, 'I don't understand.'"

"Interesting. Then, I will lead and get us to my home, which we should reach by noon tomorrow. As for what I meant by your humanity being insubstantial, that means it doesn't matter to me if you're human."

Kagome seemed so pleased, "And easily remedied?"

"Now that requires a long explanation which I shall be will to give you...once we reach my home."

"Humph!" snorted Kagome, sticking her bottom lip out hoping to look helpless enough that Sesshomaru would tell her now. However, he seemed quite set in his ways and so she gave in, "Let's get going then!" shooing the other two along with her hands.

O0o.o0O

Father Daisuke was a fierce and powerful priest. It is said that he is the father of all future priests and priestesses because he so strongly influenced the art of spiritual power control. The priest never feared for his life, only for those of the people around him. His purification powers could not be matched by anyone of the day and not one soul has since Father Daisuke's time even joked that they possessed powers equal or superior to the priest. No evil had ever passed through the Father Daisuke's heart as he traveled from village to village helping where he could. One day, a terrible dragon demon tried to attack a town near the traveling priest. The demon's name was Ryuukotsu and Father Daisuke took it upon himself to seal this demon's powers away. Yet the Priest was not strong enough. He fell by Ryuukotsu's claw and was thrown to the entrance of the village he hoped to protect. Daisuke was only able to cause the demon a few wounds that caused enough discomfort to retreat from the village and find easier prey. It was enough to save the village, but not the Priest's life. He gave his last breathe of life while struggling to keep a barrier up around the village that Ryuukotsu had thrown him in front of.

Word of the Priest's powers were passed down as a bedtime story until many believed it to be a myth. But the people of the last village Father Daisuke had fought to save remembered him. They took his body and built a shrine and buried him within it. All that was left of the priest were rumors of his great powers. Rumors that Naraku heard and decided to use to his advantage.

And the villagers had made it so easy for Naraku to find the body in its neat little shrine. Naraku entered the shrine in mock reverence and killed the two shrine maidens who took care of the gravesite. The foul creature's long tentacles dug through the dirt and uncovered the bones of the long dead priest. Naraku then took a shard of the Shikon Jewel and placed it in the pile of bones, forcing the flesh to reappeared on the bones and for the soul to be forced out of the afterlife and back into this world.

"Why have you interrupted my eternal slumber, half-demon? What interest would one such as yourself have in me?" asked the priest. People may have called him 'Father Daisuke' but that must've just been out of respect, for the man before Naraku was hardly old enough to be anyone's father. He had medium length black hair, tied into a loose ponytail that allowed a few bangs to fall around his beautiful face and seemed to bring out his piercing, dark blue eyes. Naraku could see that this young man must've broken quite a few young ladies' hearts when he chose to be a wandering priest.

Naraku smiled evilly at the priest, "Father Daisuke, I have come to make a bargain for your services."

"And why should I help a half-demon? I can sense your dark demonic aura. Why would I associate with something like you."

"OH, but I can offer you a second chance at life-another chance to save more human lives."

"How? By having me kill a hundred first? I will not humor your sick wants!"

"AH, but I only need you to kill one person-on little human girl."

"Do not try to deceive me! There is something you are trying to hide. Who is this person and why can you not kill them yourself?"

"She is a priestess and therefore I cannot touch her without the risk of being purified."

"A priestess? So by killing this one girl, how many would I be condemning to death that she was destined to save? I will not test fate in such a way. Return me to my rest, I will not help you."

"I can see why you had such great power in life- if even now in death you can resist such temptation. However, I do not think I will return you to the afterlife. Not yet. I need your power to rival this priestess and I will have your loyalty by force, if necessary."

Before the priest could even decipher the meaning of Naraku's words, tentacles were flying at him and wrapping around the restored priest.

The priest look down a the tentacles with the barest hint of interest, "What are you planning to do, half demon? Kill me? Have you forgotten that I'm already dead?"

Naraku's evil smile didn't waver, "There are worst things than death awaiting you, my Father." There was mock respect in the evil half demon's voice. The priest didn't move. He expected Naraku to kill him in his fury and return the once-dead priest to the afterlife again. He desired it and didn't fight back. When he finally realized that was not Naraku's intention, it was too late. One of Naraku's tentacles a dug in and touched the jewel shard, turning it deepest black and causing the priest's eyes to go blank. The tentacles melted around the body, fully covering it and pulling it towards Naraku's body. Their bodies' began to merge. It was intense pain for Naraku as the priest's body seemed to be trying to purify him. Yet the half-demon endure the pain, reforming his body parts in a new manner.

The pain dulled and eventually stopped when Naraku ejected a new incarnation out of his body- his half-human self name Onigumo and the priest Father Daisuke. They were merged into one individual who stared blankly at the half-demon, and blackened jewel shard in his back.

Naraku inspected his newest incarnation. "I name you Dainigumo, for you are the combination of two, with Daisuke's spiritual powers and Onigumo's mind. Whom do you serve?"

"I serve the great lord Naraku."

"Then we shall return to my castle and prepare for the coming battle." A great tornado of Miasma came down from the sky and swallowed them. When it had dissipated, there was nothing left of Naraku or Dainigumo. Dainigumo, an incarnation that couldn't be purified by Kagome. She would be helpless.

O0o.o0O

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Sesshomaru's ears twitched at the constant sound of Kagome tearing at her own skin. She was walking a half step behind the dog demon who was currently leading them to his home.

"Must you incessantly itch so?" he asked, unable to take anymore and fully turning around to face her. He had been stealing glances out of the corner of his eye for most of the afternoon as she entertained them by talking about inventions in the future and trying to described how they worked. However, she had gradually fallen silent and had began to scratch herself. At first, Sesshomaru had overlooked it, just believing to be one of those weird things humans do, but now he was staring at her in panic. He rushed to her side and pulled out her arm so that he could see it better. A red rash with small bumps aggravated nearly all of her exposed skin on her arms and legs.

"What is wrong?" he asked in alarm, fearing the worst.

"Nothing too serious, just a really bad case of poison ivy. What a time to forget the calamine lotion," she sighed, "but at least I washed my face this morning keeping the rash from coming up there."

"Poison Ivy?"

"It's what humans call it. It's a plant and nearly every human is allergic to it. Just touching it causes us to break out in this rash a few hours later. Normally we avoid it, but I somehow failed to notice it last night when we were..." she trailed off as she realized the little Kitsune was also listening to her story. She tried again, "um..when I was searching for a place to sleep last night. I must've been rolling around in it for at least half the night."

"What can we do to help?" asked Shippo.

Kagome sighed sadly, "Alas, I don't remember any herb that can help fight it. Maybe I'll remember something later, but all I can do now is try to ignore the itching. Scratching at it will only make it spread." Then she gave Sesshomaru a mock dark look, "Figures."

"May I inquire as to what 'figures?'" asked the dog demon.

"It figures that demons are immune to the plant. Well, on the sunny side of things, at least I don't have to worry about spreading it to you two."

"Let me assure you, Kagome, if I had been aware of this plant's properties, I would have chosen a more suitable location."

"Suitable for what?" eagerly asked Shippo.

"For 'discussions', Shippo. You know what? Now that I've thought about it, I do think there's a way for you to help me. Can you go look for a herb with fern-like leaves that smells like salty limes?"

"Sure Kagome!" Replied the Kitsune, eagerly rushing off in search of the plant.

"Salty limes?" questioned Sesshomaru.

"Well, that just insures us a bit of time alone. I've never even heard of that herb I sent him to find."

"I completely understand," growled Sesshomaru in animal-like pleasure, drawing Kagome against himself, "We are in need of more 'discussion,' are we not?" He didn't give her time to answer as he stole her breathe away with a long kiss. She practically melted in his arms, craving more. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him even closer and deepening the kiss.

"Damn!" she spoke into his lips after only a few minutes. "Kouga's coming." She seemed upset. "Why are we always interrupted by one thing or another?" she asked rhetorically while slipping behind Sesshomaru to hide in his clothes and tail. The demon lord could see a tornado-like wind approaching and raised a quizzical brow to Kagome who merely answered, "He thinks I'm his woman. Really annoying, but don't kill him for it. He's a nice guy overall and has pledged to kill Naraku, so he's technically an ally. Please?"

Sesshomaru nodded as the tornado came to a stop a few meters from the two. Kouga had an angry expression on his face and was down in an attack position. "Hey you! Dog turd's brother! What have you done with my woman?"

"Your woman? I haven't touched _your _woman, let me assure you."

"Don't lie to me Dog Shit! I can smell her all over you!" Kouga sniffed the air again, concentrating on pin pointing a smell. His face turned to one of pure disgust. "Oh Kami! I can even smell her in your mouth! You ate her, didn't you?"

"Only a bite," smirked Sesshomaru, referring to the mating mark he had given Kagome. However, Kouga didn't know this and his hate of the inuyoukai increased greatly, near palpable.

"You monster!" yelled Kouga, he crouched down and prepared to jump and attack the Lord of the West. "If you've killed Kagome, then I will kill you."

"STOP! Nobody is going to kill anybody today, especially not over me!" hollered Kagome, stepping out from behind Sesshomaru.. She had been hoping to avoid this confrontation. Not because she ever liked Kouga like that, but she didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes. However, she didn't want Kouga's blood spilled either, because there was no doubt in Kagome's mind that if those two engaged in battle, Kouga would be the one to die.

Kouga practically collapse from the shock of seeing her alive and not aa a half-eaten corpse. Still, the joy on his face only lasted long enough for Kouga to pick out the crescent moon on her forehead and assess the situation. Then his face fell dramatically and his mouth opened and closed few times silently before he was able to ask, "You...and him?...together?...Impossible!" He stuck his jaw forward in stubborn denial.

"But it is true Kouga," sympathized Kagome, "Sesshomaru and myself are now mates. There is nothing you can do to ever change that. Besides, don't you remember you're promised to Ayame?"

"Who's promised? I'm not promised to nobody! And I want you Kagome! You're my woman."

"No," growled Sesshomaru, a serious look on his face, "Kagome is my mate, so leave now and I will let you live."

"Kagome..." trailed off Kouga, hoping for her support.

"I'm with Sesshomaru now. Don't make him kill you, please," pleaded Kagome.

Kouga did his best to put on an arrogant smile, though it fell far short of its usual supremeness. "So you do still care. I will do as you wish Kagome." Kouga bowed his head at her then glared at Sesshomaru, "And you, dog shit! Don't you ever think about mistreating Kagome or I will come and take her away and then kill you! You understand?"

"Your threats are wasted," replied Sesshomaru boredly, "Kagome is my mate and she will _never_ be mistreated."

"Hmpff...Kagome, you know where to find me if he ever dissatisfies you in _any _way. Later!" He took off in his tornado before Sesshomaru could change his mind about letting him live.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." sighed Kagome tiredly.

"Indeed."

"I suppose we'll just wait till your home to finish our 'discussion.' The way things are going today, I couldn't imagine what would interrupt us next. Let's go find Shippo." She bent down to pick up her bag but found it missing. "What the...Sesshomaru, I can carry it you know."

But the dog demon huffed, "I don't see how. It weighs more than physically possible. What do you keep in here?"

"Just the necessities: food, water, clothes, toiletries, oh, and my school books. Which reminds me, I am way behind on my studies. I might as well drop out of high school, I guess."

"Do you want to finish school?"

"I don't guess it really matters now that I'll be staying in this time, but I suppose I would like to."

"Maybe you'll still be able to. We can discus this later. I can smell the kitsune just ahead. I'm afraid I can't smell any salty limes though," he teased her, "Don't worry. I keep a healer at my home that knows how to take care of humans for Rin. She should be able to help you and your poison ivy."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru, but I'm curious. How did Rin end up as your ward?"

"Tensaiga pulsed for me to bring her back to life after the wolves of your friend Kouga killed her. She has been following me since."

Kagome grimaced, "I forgot how Kouga's tribe used to get their food. At least they don't eat humans anymore."

They found Shippo in a bed of ferns, sniffing each leaf for the hint of salty limeness. Needless to say, he was having very bad luck.

"Come Shippo. I don't believe we're going to find that herb anywhere around here. Let's continue."

Shippo hopped onto Kagome's shoulder saying, "Okay Mommy!"

Kagome stopped walking. "Mommy?" she asked.

Shippo blushed, "I just thought that now that you and Sesshomaru were mates, you could be my Mommy."

"It would be an honor, Shippo," said Kagome, wiping a tear of happiness from the corner of her. The little kitsune features lit up in joy as they caught up to Sesshomaru on the path.

The demon lord sniffed the air for a few seconds before grabbing Kagome around the waist. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I believe it would be safe to fly the rest of the way. Just hold on tightly," he told them.

Kagome nodded as her feet left the ground, her arms automatically tightening around Sesshomaru. She closed her eyes against the rushing wind that threatened to whip her away from her demon lord. They were flying so fast that the land around them seemed to melt and become flashing streaks of color. Not soon enough, they lightly touched down in front of what the demon lord had been calling his 'home.' He had severely understated it, for it was a castle. Villages and farms surrounded the walled area that was built overlooking a valley with a lake in it. Kagome assumed that the villages were inhabited by lower class demons that worked the land for Sesshomaru. Now Kagome really understood why everyone called him 'Lord.'

The stone walls were not high enough to prevent a demon from jumping over and there were few guards posted as sentries. The gates of the castle wall themselves were wide open. Kagome silently wondered why the demon lord would allow such neglect to security. Yet as Sesshomaru released her and walked ahead of her through the open gate, she noticed that a barrier restricted him for the slightest of moments. That must've been the reason for the lax of security-the entire castle was protected by a barrier.

When Sesshomaru reached the inside of the castle, he pronounce formally, "As my father so proclaimed, I announce the right for thee who honestly stand before the gates, to enter in with no restraints."

He then ushered them to come through the gate as he had done and the barrier let them pass.

"What was that about?" asked Kagome.

"My father sealed his castle from intruders with his own blood and only those who stand before the gates when I say that incantation may enter the castle grounds."

"Your father always thought of everything, didn't he?"

"He had every right to. He was blessed with the gift of foresight."

"That's amazing, and so is this castle."

They had walked through the gateway to discover a magnificent example of architecture. The design did not fit the time period, yet it had a certain homely appeal to it, dspite its size. The castle did not have turrets and towers, but it was three stories tall, quite a feat at that time in history when most still lived on a dirt floor. The architectures centerpieced arches and the blend of rock and stucco. The greenish tone of the rock set off the brown of the stucco giving the castle an earthy look only encouraged by the ivy climbing up the east wing's walls. There were several stained glass windows, all swirls of greens, adorning the west wing, which seemed to be a great hall for feasting.

Kagome followed the confident stride of Sesshomaru to a great wooden door with transformed dog demons carved into the dark wood. Kagome could only admire them for a few seconds before they were pushed open by Sesshomaru.

He picked Kagome up bridal style and carried her through the front doors with Shippo still on her shoulder, "Welcome," he whispered in her ear, "to _our_ home."

O0o.o0O

**A/N:** Okay, so I finally gave one of my characters and actual Japanese name-the priest Daisuke- but then I go and break Japanese culture and tradition with the whole western tradition of carrying a wife bridal style. Flame me if you want to. Since I'm pointing out errors in my own work, I might as well say that I not sure if they have poison ivy in Japan, or regular ivy for that matter. If not, just pretend they do. I wanted to include it because, well, number one, it's kind of a funny thing to happen (Now kids, always look at the plantlife before you 'discus' things in the woods with a member of the opposite sex) and number two, it will set up something else in the next chapter, and no, it won't be character death. I already killed Kagome once in this story and I don't plan to do it again, well...it might be funny if...no...I'll resist and keep her alive.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** You know, I seriously deserve a punishment like execution at dawn. I let this story sit for three weeks-three whole weeks! I'm sorry and I won't even waste your eyesight with my excuses, though they were quite numerous. Anyway, I'm back to writing this so I hope you enjoy. This chapter's shorter than my other recent ones, but it's all I had time for- better a little than none at all I say.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Sesshomaru continued to carry his mate in his arms until he reached the open castle infirmary door. He stepped into the room startling an old woman, a greyish brown inuyoukai. She had been dozing at her desk over a book. She hastened to bow to her lord, nearly toppling over her chair as she stood up from it, wiping some drool from her face and trying to pretend she wasn't sleeping on the job.

"Milord, it has been so long since you last returned. We were beginning to fear that..." the nurse trailed off and her eyes widened as she noticed that he was carrying a young woman in his arms-ARMS- as in two of them. "Milord, your arms...you have two of them...sir."

"A fact I had not overlooked," replied the Lord coolly, setting Kagome down on one of the infirmary beds.

"Oh don't be that mean to her. It was just a surprise. After all, not many people, demon or not manage to grow back arms. In fact, none except you," scolded Kagome almost as if she were a parent scolding a misbehaving child. The demon-nurse took in the human girl's appearance. She was more of a woman than a girl, or somewhere right in between, probably around 18 years old. She had long black hair, dark brown eyes, a young demon fox perched on her shoulder, and Sesshomaru's crescent moon on her forehead. The nurse was now confused, if the girl had that mark, then it must mean that she was Sesshomaru's. "Impossible," thought the nurse, "Sesshomaru would never take a human as a mate. There must be some sort of misunderstanding here."

Sesshomaru startled her from his thoughts answering the young human, "Indeed it was. So if you, Nurse Akame, are finished being surprised, I would like to ask you to do everything within your power to cure this rash."

"Rash? Where?" asked the demon-nurse, surprised once again by the courtesy in Sesshomaru's voice as he spoke to her. Usually he was just cure this or forfeit your life- never had he requested her healing abilities.

Kagome held out her arm, pulling up her sleeve and showing the red bumps, "It's just a little poison ivy, but I would appreciate anything you could do for it."

Akame, the nurse, nodded dumbly. The human girl before her was so polite, and nice, and warm with emotion. The complete opposite of lord Sesshomaru, but the nurse could already see why the demon lord had fallen for the girl. She had an irresistible personality.

The nurse disappeared into a back room and returned with a jar. "This is a paste made from the Erucall plant. It is very effective at clearing up most human rashes and it should work wonders for this poison ivy. But are you sure you want me to use it on the girl?"

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Sesshomaru suspiciously.

"Well, while humans don't suffer any ill effects from it, it is extremely poisonous to demons. It can be absorbed through the skin. If she uses this, then you won't be able to touch her all night, milord."

Kagome began to blush red at what Akame was implying they were going to do that night. She just hoped that the inferred meaning would be missed by the young kitsune's ears. Sesshomaru seemed to think for a few. He also caught what Akame was suggesting, and quite understood her point, but decided that one night without touching Kagome would be worth it if she got better.

"Use the paste. We have matters to discus anyway that won't require touching," consented Sesshomaru.

It was then that Shippo decided to speak up, "But I thought you two left last night to discus things.

If it was possible to be a darker shade of red, then Kagome would've found it. She just petted the young demon on the head before saying, "There's a lot of things to discuss Shippo."

The nurse gave a knowing smile before holding the jar out to Kagome. "I'm afraid you'll have to spread it on yourself seeing as how everyone else here is a demon. Just a light coat will do and the rash should be gone by morning."

Kagome nodded and was about to dive her hand into the paste jar when her wrist was caught by a clawed hand. She looked up the arm to its owner and met Sesshomaru's golden eyes. He pulled her close and they shared a long kiss as a startled Shippo jumped off of his adoptive mother shoulder. The two's bodies seemed to melt together, each craving the other's touch. The nurse didn't even try to hide her surprise as she met the concrete proof that Sesshomaru had indeed mated a human. Her mouth hung open as she watch them, noticing how Sesshomaru didn't seem to want to let go of her.

Part of Akame surprise was logical. See, she had always believed Sesshomaru to have an icy heart. Many women, demon and human alike, had lusted after him and would have willingly thrown themselves down at his feet and begged to become his mate. Yet Sesshomaru had never showed any interest, no recognition of other's affections towards him, and a seemingly empty desire for the pleasures of the opposite sex. Apparently, something drastically had changed within her lord, and it probably had something to do with this girl before her, lips still glued to Sesshomaru's.

The couple eventually broke apart, breathing heavily and Kagome began to rub the cream on herself. Once satisfied with its cool coverage, she put the top back on and sniffed the paste on her arm. She laughed, barely managing to get out, "Aha, ha, ha, it smells, ha, like salty limes, hee hee."

A smile caught on Sesshomaru's lips as he understood the humor. He led the way out of the infirmary and towards his own private guest rooms. Shippo was clueless as to why the paste shouldn't smell like salty limes, but he followed his mother nevertheless. The nurse however, was not so naive. She had seen Sesshomaru's smile- a smile that normally meant nothing positive for anyone's life, and yet now, it seemed innocent and heart-felt. "Love can change even the most stubborn of souls," she thought to herself.

The dog- demon brought them to a staircase and then down a hallway. At the end of which were three carved doors, one on either side of the hallway facing each other, and the third on the wall at the end of the hallway.

Sesshomaru pointed at one of the doors on the side walls, the one towards the front of the castle, "That is where Rin resides. She, like the castle servants, is currently sleeping" He walked to the opposite door and opened it, "This will be your room, Shippo. I hope you find it desirable."

Shippo showed child-like excitement over the room, running into the room to inspect his new things. He was too caught up in his exploring to thank the demon-lord properly so Kagome took it upon himself, "I think he likes it. Thank you Sesshomaru..for everything."

Sesshomaru gave her a small smile as she went into the room to tuck Shippo in without touching him. It was quite a sight to see her trying to lull the hyper boy into a blissful sleep. The demon lord waited patiently for his mate. When she returned, he led her to the door at the very end of the hallway.

"This," he said, "is _our_ room." He easily swung the heavy wooden door open and revealed the cozy room. It had a rare western style bed, an imposing clothes armoire, and a chair and some cushions around a cheerily burning fireplace. The room seemed both warm and cold at the same time, which Kagome thought was rather fitting being the room of a certain unpredictable dog demon.

Sesshomaru motioned for the girl to sit in the only chair in the room, and a rather comfortable chair at that. He himself took a cushion and sat Indian style in front of her. Several minutes passed in silence, but not an awkward silence. Rather it was one of contentment- a brief period in time when no words were needed to explain what each person in the room was feeling or thinking.

Kagome gazed into the dog demon's eyes_, her_ dog demon, her mate. His eyes were not the cold and emotionless ones she remembered, but rather, they seemed deep and warm, almost as if she was peering into his actual soul. Even thinking that she thought that she was beginning to sound like a romance novel-she hoped not a cheap one. She was lost in his eyes, finding everything she ever wanted in life in them. She realized it like a punch in the stomach-that is, she was in love. Actual love, not just lust, not just getting caught up in the moment like she had unconsciously been thinking she was. No, this was her life, her future, her love, her Sesshomaru.

"You've changed," she said all of a sudden and with a certain bluntness that she must've picked up from Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru had apparently let down his guard, for he let his surprise show on his face. "How so?" he asked simply.

"There's something different about you. There's depth behind your eyes, emotion, and compassion. You said earlier that my humanity didn't matter to you. That's a big change for you, I know. I was there the first time we met and you tried to kill me," Kagome paused in her speech, leaning forward and dropping her voice to a whisper, as if she were getting ready to impart a deep secret, "and...you flirted with me."

Sesshomaru seemed to seriously consider this, though he let just enough of his true emotions show so that she would know that he was playing, "Flirting? I thought it was more of a verbal contest to confuse one's opponents."

Kagome narrowed her eyes slightly, playing along, "You were flirting with me mister. Don't deny it. And you better watch out for my mate- he's a strong one and will rip you limb-from-limb if he catches you flirting with me again."

"My apologies milady. I did no know that you had such a strong and handsome mate already."

"Handsome? I don't remember saying anything about him being handsome," said Kagome in a huff. She looked at the demon lord sitting before her, her gaze obviously traveling up and down, and side to side before continuing, "You're wrong. My mate's not handsome, he's drop-dead gorgeous."

"Then only he could deserve someone as utterly beautiful as you my dear."

Kagome smiled in pleasure at the compliment, "See! What did I tell you? You've changed! Why?"

"Is it a bad change?"

"No, it's wonderful, not that you were that terrible before, but this is an improvement, I would say."

"Then why does it matter how I came to be so?"

"Sesshomaru, I'm not going to be a mate you can just keep things from. I want to know. Besides, I was worried about you. You disappeared and I couldn't find your demonic aura."

"You were worried about me?"

Kagome flushed, "Well, yeah. The last time we had met, you kissed me and then disappeared. I thought you were angry and that I would never see you again."

"I was angry, but not at you. I was angry at myself for feeling such things for a human, a mere puny human. I rushed off to correct the problem."

"You tried to kill yourself?" Kagome asked awestruck, completely misunderstanding where Sesshomaru was going with this.

"Hardly, that would have been easier probably. But then, I wouldn't be the way I am now," Sesshomaru dug into the front of his Kimono and fished of the package of leaves, sacredly opening the bundle for Kagome's inspection. "I left to find the cure to humanity, to find these leaves."

Kagome carefully examined one of the beautiful leaves, scarlet on top, deep plum purple on the bottom and edged and veined in a shimmering gold. "I've never seen anything like it! Tell me more."

"They are the leaves to the Tree of Emoceba Anomede and can be used to make the drink of Anomede- a drink that can transform a human into a fully fledged demon."

"I've never heard of it."

"That is because it had nearly passed out of knowledge of existence before I discovered it. Also, the drink takes 200 years to ferment, so it is not a very useful potion...to most"

Kagome considered this and finally figured it out, "And you were planning on using the well to go to the future and get it there. Very smart, but then, how come I couldn't sense you?"

"That is because I was human."

"WHAT!"

"Yes, I was shocked too. It all began when I met a path guardian named Sasarg..." And so Sesshomaru told Kagome of his experiences as a human. She was the first and last person to ever hear that tale-anyone else who asked about it met only dumb silence with a cold glare. Sesshomaru relatively enjoyed relating the tale, much to his own surprise. He usually never told anything to anyone about himself, which added a lot to his seemingly cold and mysterious appearance. However, Kagome was a great audience, very patient, never judging, giving the occasional gasp when something shocking happened, and nodded with approval when Sesshomaru related the point that Sasarg was trying to get through the demon lord's head.

When Sesshomaru was finally done, Kagome was beaming at him for having gone through all that for her, so that _they_ could be together. It was sweet, in a corny sort of way. She was interrupted from thoughts of how she would repay him by the feeling of being stared at. It was, of course, just Sesshomaru, yet he looked expectant.

"What?" she asked him.

"It is only fitting when one hears a story, to give one in return. Would you like to explain to me why Naraku wanted you dead so badly?"

"Ah yeah! I had forgotten that I died," laughed Kagome nervously. Sesshomaru wasn't as surprised as one might think one would be after hearing something like that. He merely waited for her to continue. Truthfully, he had expected it, Kagome being who she was. "Well, let's see. We were looking for jewel shards when Naraku lured us into this cave. The cave kept Inuyasha from using his sword's attacks, because he feared he would bring the ceiling down on us. Things were looking pretty bad, swarms of demons were attacking us, and we were getting really tired. But then Kikyo showed up and saved Sango and Miroku from Kanna. Then, Naraku attacked Kikyo and killed her, which was really bad and really good at the same time. We didn't think Naraku, or at least the Onigumo in Naraku, could hurt, or kill Kikyo. He somehow got over that and stabbed her through with a tentacle. I should be really sad that she died, but now I have a whole soul! Not just a piece of one. My powers amplified and I could see through Naraku's barrier and see the shikon jewel. I tried to purify the thing with an arrow, but Naraku was able to move just enough to get out of the way. He was hurt badly though and so retreated and about a week later we ran into Kohaku. HE was pretending to be running from Naraku but was really just there to kill me," ended Kagome, settling down. She had been getting really into her story, sitting on the edge of her seat and using her hands to demonstrate what was going on. It was quite amusing, thought the dog demon, even if it brought dark news that her life was in danger, and it was his fault. He had encouraged her to increase her priestess powers and those increased powers made her a target for Naraku. Finally rational thought caught up to him and he realized that she would've died, along with her friends, in that cave if she didn't have her new powers.

But there was one thing that could put his mind at ease, "Kagome," he said after a contemplative silence, "would you like to become stronger, to become a demon?"

She thought about it, her brow furrowed in thought and eyes serious: _Should I become a demon? As a human, I'll always be as I am now, except that I will quickly grow old and die and leave Sesshomaru alone forever. Then, he'd probably turn into that cold monster he was the first time I met him. And I'm his mate, I love him. I don't want to leave him, and children! There's also our future children to consider. I know he hates hanyous, or at least he used to. Now, if I were to become a demon, would I still be who I am now? That's a stupid question. The potion wouldn't change my soul, I'll always be Kagome, just Kagome. But what if the demon blood takes over, I could hurt someone, or murder...but no! Sesshomaru would always be by my side. He would watch out for me and protect me. And I could protect him. And live with him and our family forever. Hold on, are there any negative consequences for becoming a demon? Constant youth, the ability to protect the ones I love, and I know Sesshomaru wants me to become a demon. He can accept me as a human, but as a demon there is so much more opportunity. So, human or demon? Come on girl! Pick the right one!_

Kagome opened her mouth to speak only to be drowned out by Sesshomaru, "If you want to sleep on it, that is fine. But, so that you know, you are my mate, and human or demon, that will never change and it doesn't really even matter to me. Let this be your choice and yours alone and don't be..." he never got to finished for Kagome rather rudely and loudly cut him off with a clearing of her throat. She smiled at him.

"You're rambling, Sesshomaru. Besides, I've already reached my decision and you should know that I don't take crap from anyone. I choose to be," said Kagome, giving a pause for dramatic tension, "a demon."

Sesshomaru stood up and kissed her on the lips, one of the few places she didn't have that poisonous rash remedy. He looked her in the eyes, so much meaning and compassion in those golden orbs it made her heart speed up just contemplating the next time they could touch. The dog taiyoukai whispered, "Wonderful. Get some sleep for it is very late now. Tomorrow we can begin making the drink of Anomede."

Kagome nodded, snuggling into the chair by the warm fire. "Sesshomaru..." she whispered as she drifted off to her dreamland, "...I love you."

"I love you too..._my_ Kagome," whispered Sesshomaru back, feeling in complete harmony with himself and with the rest of the world, something he had not felt since he was a pup. He had everything he could have ever hoped for, lightly snoring in the chair before him. He didn't know if she could hear his soft confession of love, but the smile on her face, even in her sleep, made him believe she had. Nevertheless, he promised himself that he would tell her tomorrow when she woke. If Sasarg had done nothing else, he had made Sesshomaru realize how precious life was- if Sesshomaru died right now, he would be happy, yet he would regret that he had never told a conscious Kagome his feelings for her. He silently watched her sleep the rest of the night.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, that's it for today. I'll start on the next chapter ASAP. I already have it sketched out. Hey, the last time I checked, the reviews were stuck on **_99_**! That's more then I ever thought possible! Thank you for your support- it makes me feel all warm and squishy inside. Hint for what's comin' next chapter: a very shocked Jaken, a happy Rin, a trek to find ingredients for a demonic potion, a little boy with an apple, the first emergence of a river from the ground, and an encounter with a man named Dainigumo. Hmmm...interesting... 


	14. Chapter 14

-1**A/N:** For those who don't remember, here are the instructions to make the drink of Anomedejust to refresh your memory: . _The Drink of Anomede is made from the leaves of the tree of Emoceba Anomede. Pluck 13 leaves from the tree, each one from a separate branch. Boil the leaves in a kettle of water retrieved from the spot a spring first pours out water from the ground to form a river. Boil the leaves the entire night of a full moon. Let it cool the whole next day and, at sunset, add a drop of blood from the type of demon you desire the transformation to be into. Contain the liquid in a silver flask and bury it in the ground, three feet deep- one foot of soil for each part of a person's being- mind, body, and spirit. Let it stay under the ground for 200 years so that it shall ferment into the Drink of Anomede__ A mouthful is all that the human would need to swallow to achieve a full transformation. The transformation itself is gradual, taking seven days to reach full effect

* * *

_

**Chapter 14**

Kagome awoke the next morning to the sound of birds chirping and felt the eyes of Sesshomaru still intensely watching her. She groaned and tried to get more comfortable in the warm chair. She noticed that a blanket must've been thrown over her during the night and she snuggled deeper into it.

"You're awake," stated Sesshomaru obviously.

"Just barely," yawned Kagome, eyes tightly closed.

"Time to wake up," said Sesshomaru a few minutes of silence later.

"Or what?" smiled Kagome into the soft chair.

Sesshomaru thought about it before replying, "I will have Rin come in and jump on you till you wake up properly.

Kagome shrugged nonchalantly saying, "I could handle that."

Kagome heard the demon lord pick something relatively heavy off a nearby table. She suspiciously opened her eyes to find him holding a pitcher of water over her head. He looked completely amused with the situation, "Then you shall get wet."

Kagome's eyes narrowed, "You wouldn't dare."

"I would," answered Sesshomaru tilting the pitcher until the slightest trickle of cold water fell onto Kagome's forehead. Kagome squeaked when it hit her, which hurt Sesshomaru's sensitive ears, making him flinch, causing more water to spill over the edge of the pitcher and onto Kagome's head.

Kagome, thoroughly awake now thanks to the cold water, hastily got up least more water fall on her head. She glowered at the dog demon who was beginning to learn that one should not mess with a sleeping woman. Nevertheless, he conquered the desire to shiver at Kagome's angry presence and instead decided to distract her.

"Perhaps a warm bath would be desirable. I will lead you to the bath and then I must go greet my ward."

Kagome's face turned to one of pure joy at the mention of the word "bath" and she hastened to follow the departing lord.

Sesshomaru left her to her own after pointing out where she could get fresh towels and a clean bathrobe. She finished soaking thirty minutes later, glad to see that Erucall plant cream off of her skin and saw that her poison ivy was gone too. She returned happily to Sesshomaru's...to her...to _their_ room to await Sesshomaru.

She only had to wait a few minutes before Sesshomaru entered again being trailed by Rin and Shippo, both of whom ran past the demon lord in their haste to greet Kagome. They ran into her open arms for a warm and motherly hug. Sesshomaru waited patiently for them to exchange the most current news- Rin said something about some flower blooming at some time of the year, while Shippo went on and on about his new room and how jealous Inuyasha would be.

The demon lord, however, soon became impatient and dismissed the children, telling Rin to go get breakfast for herself and Shippo and then to take Shippo for a tour of the castle. Rin smile happily up at her lord saying, "Okay Lord Sesshomaru!" The pair ran off hand in hand. As soon as the door closed, Sesshomaru moved in on Kagome, glad that she wasn't covered in that cream anymore. Their bodies locked together-each seemingly afraid to let the other out of their touch. Their lips caught each other hungrily, both breathing heavily. Of course, they should've known by now that each time they tried to capture a romantic moment, they would be interrupted somehow. This time it was by Jaken's screech, "Lord Sesshomaru!" as he entered the room, unaware that he was unwanted.

The toad demon's shock wasn't unwarranted. It wasn't everyday that the retainer walked in on his master in such an uncompromising position-for the demon lord was surely in a quite uncompromising position. In their short romantic burst, Sesshomaru had somehow maneuvered Kagome to his bed and had already pinned her under him. Their clothes were blessedly still on, but Jaken had the distinct impression that if he hadn't of interrupted when he did, those clothes would have been readily discarded. The toad demon only caught a glance of the woman's face before one of Sesshomaru's boots was thrown at the toad by the demon lord. The boot knocked the retainer out of the room and the rush of wind upset by the shoe's momentum slammed the door closed. The toad demon rolled head-over-heels a few times before finally landing in an undignified hump in the hallway. When he finally recovered from his dizziness he took off in a huff down the hallway. It was obvious that the lord did not require his services at this time if the moans of pleasure and squeals of delight coming from the closed door were any indication.

Jaken picked up his dropped staff before making his way down the hallway muttering to himself, "Well I never...a human woman!..THAT human woman! Oh, I still have a lump on my head from our first encounter! THAT WENCH! I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru is only using her for his pleasure...surely he couldn't be serious...I hope." But a possessive pleasure-filled growl rumbled through the hallway causing Jaken to second guess that particular theory.

It was late in the afternoon when the new couple removed themselves from their room to seek nourishment and nearly instantly were intercepted by Rin and Shippo. Rin grabbed Kagome's hand while Shippo climbed onto his favorite shoulder perch.

Rin innocently smiled up at Kagome, her eyes crinkling with pleasure. She grabbed Sesshomaru's hanging hand and put the two together. Giggling, she took a step back to admire her work saying, "Shippo said that Lady Kagome is his new mommy! Can Kagome be Rin's mommy too?"

Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru, who somehow was able to keep all hints of blush of his perfect face. Kagome, meanwhile, was turning red slowly. Her eyes silently asked Sesshomaru if it was okay and he lightly nodded.

Kagome smiled down at Rin and answered, "Yes Rin, I would love to be both of your mothers."

"Yay!" exclaimed Rin, happily skipping around her two elders, "Rin now has a mommy just like Shippo!" Shippo joined the girl's strange dance and soon the pair disappeared around the hallway corner.

Sesshomaru noticed that their hands were still together but surprisingly he didn't really find that he cared if someone saw them like this- he normally didn't hold much for PDA, yet Kagome seemed to make him re-evaluate everything he had thought before. She was truly the only one that could make him do this. She was unique. She was his precious.

"You will be a good mother to them," he voiced.

Kagome laughed nervously at that, "Well, one of our own could be sooner than you think. I mean, we could have already conceived a child with the way you go at it."

"Highly improbable," countered Sesshomaru, forever above the situation at hand.

"Why's that," asked Kagome, looking up into her mate's eyes sweetly.

"As a taiyoukai, I have great control over the reproductive value of my seed," said Sesshomaru nonchalantly.

Kagome bit her lip while deciphering this bit until she suddenly burst out in joyous laughter. "That's a really nice way to say something really dirty."

"Indeed," smirked Sesshomaru, quickly stealing a kiss from his mate.

The pair went down to the kitchen and Sesshomaru had the cook prepare them some food. They ate in comfortable silence and when they were done, Sesshomaru sent a servant to fetch Jaken.

Jaken appeared a few moments later, breathing hard while bowing before his lord. When Sesshomaru motioned him to rise, Kagome caught shape of a boot-shaped bruise covering one half of the toad demons face and she had to hide a smile- she had never been particularly fond of this little demon.

"Milord, you sent for me?"

"Yes, I need you to prepare our things for a week's journey. See that it is done correctly. We will be leaving tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."

Jaken didn't leave though. He stood transfixed as he caught Sesshomaru's mark upon the human's forehead. "Her! Inuyasha's wench!" sputtered the toad demon.

Tokijin was drawn and pressed against the toad's throat in a flash and the retainer gulped nervously against the blade.

Sesshomaru radiated pure coldness and anger, "Kagome is now Lady of the Western Lands. You would do well to address her with due respect. I will overlook your ignorance this once, but if you insult her or her honor again, I will not hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"

Jaken nodded vigorously as the sword was sheathed again.

Sesshomaru ordered, "Go make our preparations." The toad demon bowed out of the room and did as he was told.

"Journey?" questioned Kagome, her arms wrapping around her dog demon mate. Sesshomaru nuzzled into her neck, taking in her scent- the odd mix between the smell of the first day of Spring and the sweet smell of honey. It was intoxicating , he nearly lost himself in it. Yet he managed to answer her question before he carried her up to their room and they got lost in each other again. "We must find the emergence of a river from the earth to boil the Emoceba Anomede leaves in."

They woke the next morning in each other's arms. They dressed quickly, Kagome in a Kimono Sesshomaru had given her. It was scarlet with his family crest in white on the shoulder, much like his own. They said their farewells to the children, leaving them in Jaken's care under threat of death should anything happen to them. No one except the couple leaving knew were the pair were going- Sesshomaru had decided that it would be for the better- if no one knew, no one could leak the information to Naraku. However, Sesshomaru didn't know about the Saimyoshu in the distance, right outside of Sesshomaru's sensing range, that was secretly watching the pair leave the safety of Inutashio's barriered castle. It continued to follow them as they made their way to a nearby river and began following it up river.

Kagome and Sesshomaru were already making good progress halfway through the day and Sesshomaru estimated that it would only take three days, four at most, as they stopped for lunch.

They began at a brisk pace again right after lunch and Kagome did most of the talking once more, speaking of her time and her family and friends.

"I don't think I'll ever finish high school," sighed Kagome, "I've been jewel shard collecting for three years with Inuyasha and I've just missed so much school. Besides, now that I have you, I don't think Algebra will be all that important..." Kagome went into a list of all her other subjects and what she had learned and what she had yet to learn.

Sesshomaru remained silent though obviously listening. He was, for once in his life, beginning to feel ignorant. He had never realized how well educated Kagome was before- she hid the fact very well.

He was brought out of his silence by Kagome's next question that took him by surprise in its complete randomness, "Sesshomaru, how old are you?"

Sesshomaru squinted at the setting sun, mentally making the calculations, "I am over 900 years old. I've lost count of the exact amount."

Kagome whistled, "Wow. That's old. Hey, that kind of makes you like one of those perverted old guys...or a pedophile."

"Why do you say that?" he asked raising an amused eye brow. "I am quite young for a demon."

"Yes, but I'm only 18 years old. That's a pretty big age difference."

"Perhaps, yet we are both about a quarter of the way through our lives which makes us about equal." Sesshomaru suddenly changed the uncomfortable subject, he was beginning to feel like a "pervert old guy" as Kagome had told him. "The sun will be setting soon so I suggest we find a place to set up camp."

Kagome heartily agreed, throwing herself tiredly under an apple tree that grew by the river. She collected a few apples for them to eat. Sesshomaru took notice of her task and informed her, "Those apples you have gathered have worms in them."

He smiled as Kagome "eeked," quickly throwing the apples into the river and away from her. The dog demon picked up several apples littering the ground that were worm free and handed them to her to sample. She bit in to it experimentally before licking her lips- it was a very good apple.

"How did you do that- tell which ones were good to eat?" she asked in awe.

Sesshomaru never got the chance to answer for a young boy's voice cut off his reply. "Sir, kind sir, could I please have one of you apples, good sir?"

Sesshomaru swung around to meet the sight of the young boy. For a second, he was amazed he didn't sense the boy's approach, but then his memories caught up with him as he caught the strong scent of grass on the air. Sesshomaru growled, "Sasarg, stop playing these games."

Grass swirled around the boy leaving an old man with green eyes and hair in his place. "Sesshomaru!" he joyously greeted.

"So you were the starving boy all along. How foolish of me."

"No, how righteous of you," laughed Sasarg putting an arm around Sesshomaru's shoulders and turning him around in a conspirator's huddle. "So this is the girl, huh? She's pretty! And a miko! You should thank me, old boy. Without my lessons, do you think you would've stood a chance of making her your mate?" Then, without waiting for a reply, Sasarg laughed and removed himself from the demon lord's side. The old guardian began addressing Kagome after lifting her hand to his lips for a quick kiss. "Milady," he said, "so you are the wonderful lady that continuously plagued this moronic demon's thoughts while he was upon my mountain. I think he deserves a special something for that, wouldn't you agree, milady?" Sasarg's eyebrows moved in a inferring manner. The old guardian then winked at the demon lord as Kagome flushed pink. Sesshomaru was about to drag Sasarg away from his mate when the old man disappeared in a wind of grass, reforming out of Sesshomaru's reach. The old guardian said, "I merely came to see the effects of my deeds and I am quite happy with the results. I wish you both luck. Now I must return to guarding my mountain." And with that, the strange man was gone in the wind, the slight smell of grass still lingering in the air.

Kagome recovered from her shock a few minutes later commenting, "Well...he was interesting."

"You have no idea," replied Sesshomaru, setting himself by his mate and pulling her into his lap to sleep.

The next day and a half were quite uneventful- no unexpected drop-ins, no attacking demons, nothing but the couple enjoying the weather and each other's company. Finally, they came to the emergence of the river from the ground. Sesshomaru filled a large container of the flowing spring water, corked it, and stuck it in one of their traveling bags.

They then began making their way back to Sesshomaru's castle, completely unaware that the Saimyoushu that had been following them was now taking his gathered information back to Naraku. The evil hanyou smile in evil glee before sending out his newest incarnation to intercept them.

"Let's see just how powerful you are, Miko," cackled Naraku, sounding every bit like the villain he was.

O0o.o0O

Kagome and Sesshomaru were only about a day from Inutashio's castle. They had sat down to eat lunch when Kagome began to feel something approaching. She nudged Sesshomaru and nodded in the direction it was coming from. "I sense a jewel shard coming," she whispered.

Sesshomaru nodded and climbed to his feet, his hand ready on the hilt of his sword. Kagome whispered to him again, "All I can sense is a human with a pure jewel shard. Can you smell anything?"

Sesshomaru shook his head slightly, "Only that of a dead human."

Whatever they had been expecting, it certainly wasn't the handsome young man that popped out of the bushes a minute later, tripping over a tree root and falling into a thorn bush. The young man hopped to his feet again and then seemed to notice that his clumsiness had an audience. He turned around scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry," he apologized good naturedly, "I didn't mean to disrupt your meal with my clumsiness. Let me introduce myself. I am Daisuke, noting but a humble priest. Do you have anything in need of purification or protection? It would be the least I could do to make up for my intrusion."

Kagome didn't trust this so-called priest, she was very aware that only Naraku, Kouga, and herself had possession of the remaining sacred jewel shards. Something about the man before her caused the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle.

Sesshomaru apparently felt the same way as he emitted a low growl. The priest caught the palpable feeling that he was not welcome and began to back off, holding his hands up in a peaceful way. "I'm so sorry if I disturbed you. I'll just be on my way then."

His retreat was blocked by Sesshomaru's blade on his neck. "Are you another one of Naraku's underlings? Is that why you hide your scent?" growled the fierce demon lord.

The priest's good natured smiled disappeared instantly to be replaced with an evil smirk. Kagome gasped as the once pure jewel shard turned black in the priest's back. The man's eyes turned red and the barrier that was hiding his smell fell revealing the disgusting odor of Naraku.

"Incarnation," hissed Sesshomaru, pressing the blade harder against the man's neck.

"I'm much more complicated then that. My real name is Dainigumo." The man smiled in an insane manner, his red eyes only enhanced the feeling.

The blade was now drawing the man's blood and Sesshomaru's voice was like ice, "Why disguise yourself? You knew we'd be suspicious of you. It seems pointless."

The insane smile continued, even as the blade pressed deeper into the man's jugular, "Because now you're in range."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock for a moment before he brought the blade down while jumping away from the man. He didn't get far for Dainigumo plastered a seal onto his forehead. Sesshomaru was suspended in animation as if he were frozen in time. The sword had severed Dainigumo's neck but the insane man pulled himself from the ground, his wounds healing thanks to the shikon jewel shard in his back.

"NO!" screamed Kagome, bringing her miko powers to her hands. She hadn't brought her bow along believing that she would be perfectly safe under Sesshomaru's care, but now, he was unable to protect her. She threw a wave of her purification powers at the priest. He jumped back away from the arc of purification and away from the frozen Sesshomaru. Kagome moved protectively in front of her stilled mate, her aura rising as she tried to protect the one she loved.

Dainigumo pulled a religious dagger from his sleeve and threw it at Kagome. Kagome erected a barrier from which the dagger harmless whacked off of, falling to the ground. The priest erected his own barrier and slammed into Kagome's. It was a complete dead lock- neither lost nor gained any ground.

"How can you use spiritual powers when you're so tainted with evil?" asked Kagome, still holding her own against Dainigumo's pushing barrier.

"I am two people in one, one of which you know- Onigumo. I am also the priest Daisuke. Our bodies were merged by Naraku and so I can be tainted while using the powers of a pure priest's soul locked within me. We are together, yet we are separate, that is why Naraku called me Dainigumo."

Their barriers collided once again with a flash of white light. Still, they were equally matched. Dainigumo backed off some distance, out of Kagome's range for purification. He was not sent here to kill to girl. Naraku said that would be his pleasure alone. Rather, he was sent here to test her powers so that Naraku would be prepared for the next time they met. As for the dog demon- Sesshomaru- Naraku planned on keeping him alive and in stasis, at least until he would release the seal and kill the demon before the miko's eyes. Naraku certainly was cruel and would go to any extent for the most vile revenge.

The priestess was unwilling to leave her mate so Dainigumo taunted her to show more of her powers. "How will you save your mate if I stay here and watch as you die of hunger and thirst? For surely I could. What could you do to stop me?"

Kagome's anger flared seeing as the insane man before her was entirely correct. What she wouldn't give for her bow and arrows. She saw some rocks littering the ground and figured those would have to do. Gathering them up, she infused each one with her purification powers before throwing it with all of her might at the priest. The aimed-for priest merely dodged the hefty stones but noticed a weakness. There! Every time the priestess threw a stone, her barrier would weaken and allow the stone to pass through. It was enough to work with and he timed his attack. Waiting till she brought her hand back right before she threw the last rock in her hand, he charged at her with his barrier up. She didn't have time to stop her attack as his barrier barreled into her weakened barrier. It was just enough to make her barrier crumble- it seemed to dissipate into a pink mist leaving the miko open for attack. Not being one to pass up such an opportunity, another silver religious dagger appeared in the priest's hand and he tried to drive it into the woman's body.

Kagome didn't have time to stop the blade and closed her eyes tightly waiting to feel the pain. But her newly awakened miko powers would not allow her to die so simply. The blade was turned away, breaking the knife in two and a sickening cracked was heard as Dainigumo's wrist plunged into a pure pink light now surrounding the girl. It consumed her, whipping her hair around her face and causing a rush of wind that pushed Dainigumo back 3 feet before whipping him of his feet entiely and throwing him bodily into a tree many yards away.

Dainigumo could feel himself being purified by the aura that still surrounded the girl and realized that his life was in danger. He had too much evil in him now to survive such an intense purification. He retreated silently back to Naraku, the jewel shard already mending his broken wrist and his other oddments of injuries sustained from the miko's unconscious power.

As soon as Dainigumo was out of Kagome's sensing range, her aura subsided and the pink light disappeared. Kagome turned to Sesshomaru's frozen form in tears. She was well-aware that they both had almost lost their lives. She purified the seal on her love's forehead.

The effect was instantaneous. Sesshomaru fell to the ground, Kagome with him as she tried to hug and kiss him as much as possible, her tears falling on his cheeks. Sesshomaru was confused. The last thing he remembered was being attacked by Dainigumo and then...nothing but blackness to this moment. He wrapped his own arms around Kagome trying to soothe her. Finally her sobs seemed to soften and she looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes.

"What happened?" he asked calmly.

Kagome's lip trembled as she answered, "We almost died. That Dainigumo attacked us, he was part Naraku's human side, Onigumo, and part human priest Daisuke. He sealed you and then we fought. I was able to protect you but...but if he had been more serious, I don't think either of us would still be alive."

"More serious?"

"I think he was just testing us, testing our abilities because he fled. He just fled without being beaten."

Sesshomaru pulled her into a closer embrace as she broke out in sobs again. "Shhh...it's okay. I will never make the mistake of getting sealed again. I promise."

Kagome tearfully laughed, "You'd better. We're mates now, and I don't know what I'd do if you died."

"There's no need for us to worry about that now. Let us return to the castle immediately."

Kagome's eyes lit up, "You mean we get to fly again?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you just fly everywhere, Sesshomaru?"

"One, it uses up too much energy. Two, it makes you an easy target for attacks. Walking is much safer, but I think haste would be more valued today," said Sesshomaru, wiping the leftover tears from Kagome's face and then forming a demonic cloud underneath the two and flying off towards Inutashio's castle.

* * *

**A/N:** That's all for today folks. Next chapter: Kagome finally becomes a demon! Yay! Can anyone guess what she's going to look like? I already know, but if anyone wants to hazard a guess, go ahead. If you get it right, you earned two-and-a-half gold stars to put next to your name! If you have a better idea than what I did, I just may use it instead. ttyl 


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **I think I'm going to start posting smaller chapters-like 5 or 6 pages worth at a time- instead of 11 or more. That way, I'll be able to update quicker. Props to **Lurkinginshadows **for giving me part of this chapter's idea.

**Creitros: **I liked the idea you suggested, but I just couldn't find a way to incorporate it smoothly into what I have planned. It was a great idea though.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

It had been nearly a week. Nearly an entire week and Inuyasha and his shortened numbered group had still not moved from the hut where so much had occurred. Sure, Kohaku had joined their group, which Sango was extremely glad of (and Miroku was too, because Sango didn't seem as violent to his approaches as of late) yet with the parting of Kagome and Shippo from the rest, Inuyasha's group seemed so much smaller and quieter. Maybe it was because normally Kagome's huge heart seemed to take up so much room but now...it was gone...she was gone. Perhaps the reason Inuyasha's gang had been so quiet lately was because Inuyasha himself was hardly present. The hanyou just sat on a nearby hill staring unseeingly at the horizon in the direction they had last seen Kagome walk off in.

She had left them and she had left him...And with his brother? Inuyasha still growled at the thought. It just didn't seem possible. Obviously, there was some sort of connection between Sesshomaru and Kagome or else Tensaiga wouldn't have revived the young Miko. But that look on Sesshomaru's face- it was almost loving as he looked at the dead girl right before he revived her!

So now, after nearly a whole week, Inuyasha was still brooding in his own self pity. "I lost Kagome. I lost her.. I lost both of them...I couldn't save Kikyo...and now...I couldn't keep Kagome..." was all he could say to himself. Inuyasha was so caught up in his despair, he didn't even see the approaching tornado; he didn't smell the stench of wolf; he didn't notice anything until it hit him- Kouga that is.

Running up with his jewel-shard-enhanced legs, Kouga landed a hard punch straight on Inuyasha'a jaw breaking Inuyasha out of his regretful reverie and sending him sprawling down the other side of the hill. Kouga continued his attack, barraging the hanyou with darting kicks and the odd quick punch. Still, Inuyasha didn't respond to the blows. He didn't try to block or dodge. Hell, he didn't even curse at the wolf demon like he usually did for no reason at all. Inuyasha just took every blow from the wolf in silence, as if this physical pain was helping him deal with his emotional pain.

Finally, Kouga stopped his attack, though his still had a fist up and ready to punch the hanyou if the desire came over him. The wolf prince was breathing heavily and Inuyasha sat up from where he had fallen down the hill, but he was still not focused on anything. His clawed hand came up to his jaw where Kouga had first hit him as if he was finally registering the pain.

Kouga's shout brought Inuyasha's despondent focus onto the wolf leader.

"Dog turd!" He yelled at the hanyou, "You lost me my woman!" Of course, Kouga knew that Kagome could no longer be considered his woman, not if he wanted to keep certain body parts from being ripped off by an angry Sesshomaru, but the excuse made it sound more justifiable for him to beat Inuyasha up. "Couldn't you even hold on to her? Why did you let that scrawny piece-of-dog-shit take her?"

Inuyasha may not have registered anything else, but the fact that Kouga must have seen Kagome did register. "You've seen Kagome?" asked Inuyasha desperately, scrambling up off the ground to be Kouga's height.

"Yeah. I've seen her. Just a few days ago," said Kouga wondering how to break the news of Kagome and Sesshomaru's mating. "She was with that piece-of-shit brother of yours."

"And...and did she look happy..to be with him?" questioned Inuyasha timidly.

"I'd say she did. So did dog shit himself."

"What!?!"

"They..uh..he...and..she...well...they've mated, Inuyasha,"said Kouga. For the first time since they had met, Kouga used Inuyasha's given name, but it was overlooked. Silence. Complete and utter silence followed this simple declaration.

Inuyasha did a very good impression of a gold fish before finally whispering, more to himself than Kouga, "Damn! He moves fast. How am I supposed the compete with that? I've lost her then. I've truly lost her."

"Yes, you have dog-turd. You lost her for both of us. At least I still have my good looks and manly charm. I can find another woman, but you? I guess your just out of luck...I'm not sure what Kagome saw in you in the first place, mutt."

"Shut up wimpy wolf!" snapped Inuyasha, the mope finally coming off his face to be replaced with fierce determination.

"I'll win her back," declared Inuyasha threatening his half-brother who wasn't even there, "I'll take her from you...she has to still love me...it was just a fight..." Inuyasha brandished a fists, his knuckles cracking dangerously.

Kouga brandished his own fist. "And how are you going to do that, mud-for-brains? Or maybe you didn't hear me right. She's his, they're mates, it's the opponent's-head-rolling end of battle, and you're out of luck. She has his mark which means it's all over for us dog-turd, unless you plan on killing your brother."

If looks could kill, Kouga's body parts would be strewn out across the land by now. Inuyasha was still determined pledging, "If that's what I have to do, then I'll kill him! I've been meaning to finish him off anyway."

Kouga punched the back of the half demon's head leaving a sizable lump, "Idiot! Like you would stand a chance against the Lord of the Western Lands if he was fighting you seriously ."

"I can kill him! I cut off his arm! I can finish him. All I have to do is go talk to Kagome, she'll realize everything was a mistake, she'll come back, Sesshomaru won't stop her, and she'll understand everything."

"I'm afraid Kouga's right this time Inuyasha," said Miroku. He had once again been eavesdropping in the bushes until he felt the need to finally interject. He continued, "Kagome broke it off with you even before Sesshomaru took her away. She told you she didn't love you anymore, that you waited too long. She won't come back to you anymore Inuyasha. I think that's the true reason she was training her miko abilities- so that she would be strong enough that she could leave you and not owe you anything. And you'd be a fool to think you could beat Sesshomaru in a serious fight. The only reason you cut off his arm was because he under estimated you once. He won't do it again. Face it Inuyasha, Kagome loves Sesshomaru now, not you."

"You eavesdropped on me and Kagome's conversation?" asked Inuyasha aghast (if he knew what aghast meant). "Never mind, you always do. But how do you know she loves Kagome, Sesshomaru could've forced her or something."

"No, it's Kagome," broke in Sango, untangling herself from the bushes she had been eavesdropping from. Miroku stood there in open-mouthed shock-apparently Sango had picked up a rather bad habit of his. The demon slayer continued of Kagome's behalf, "Kagome sees the good in almost everyone to start with, so she is open-minded enough to give Sesshomaru a chance. She's also brave, kind, sweet, strong, beautiful, and strong-willed. Any man could fall in love with her. Not to mention, Kagome's like a little sister to me, and I hardly think she would let any man bed her unless she loved him. She's that kind of pure-souled spirit. AND you saw her power-if she didn't want it, she would've just purified Sesshomaru's ass."

Miroku thought he was going to faint as he heard the one woman he was actually serious about bearing his children talk about such things. It just had his mind in the gutter with so many day dreams of certain encounters he would like to have with a fierce demon slayer. He began to blush lightly as he stood there now completely apart from the argument that had been going on.

"But Sesshomaru couldn't love her- she's human! He hates humans," argued Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, seriously, did you pay any attention to them when Kagome died? The look on Sesshomaru's face, well, it had emotion! Since when has your brother had any emotion. And when Kagome was revived and she looked into Sesshomaru's eyes, there was something there. That look they shared. It was...loving...sort of radiated a deeply hidden passion."

"But still...that could've been a trick of the light..." Inuyasha's arguments were running out. They were just getting weaker and weaker as his so-called friends shot them down one by one. He had only one rational thought that might save his argument, "But she couldn't love him. If she used to love me, then why did we never..why didn't she ever act like she wanted to...you know...mate?"

"How would you know what she wanted dog-turd?" growled Kouga. "You always had you head shoved too far up your own ass to even see that light of day, much less see how much Kagome wanted you."

Miroku finally drug his mind out of the gutter and picked up where Kouga had left off, "and you were too busy chasing after Kikyo, always shoving her to the side and making her feel like a cheap imitation of the clay-pot-of-a-woman who used to love you. But Kikyo's dead! That nody was only mud, bone, and part of Kagome's soul. Kagome fell out of love with you and it's your own fault. Maybe your brother can treat her better than you ever did."

Inuyasha stumbled backwards a step, eyes darting around almost blindly. He fell to his knees mumbling, "But I can't believe she'd run to my brother, not until I actually see it."

"You want to see it?" asked Sango, "then let's go see it. Let's go to where ever Sesshomaru lives right now."

"My father's castle-that's where Sesshomaru lives," said Inuyasha softly, his brow furrowed in thought, He weighed his options quickly to himself. He finally said, "I'll lead the way."

Sango and Miroku went to get their supplies, Kohaku, and Kirara while Kouga made his dramatic exit as always, "Say hi to Kagome for me when you see her, mutt. I need to get back to my tribe. Later dog turd!"

A mini-tornado later, Inuyasha's group had rejoined and began following Inuyasha, who still looked deep in thought. No one spoke a word.

O0o.o0O

Sesshomaru helped Kagome out of the modern times side of the well. They had returned without further incident to Inutashio's castle and only had to wait a few short days for a full moon to complete the ritual just as the eel-soothsayer had instructed. Sesshomaru remembered burying the flask that the Drink of Anomede would ferment in.

_flashback begin_

Kagome and himself were next to the Goshinboku tree in Inuyasha Forest. The trees around them threw long shadows over them as they caught the last of the sun's rays before it set. Pink and orange were being overpowered by purple and blue in the sky signaling it was time to complete the ritual. Sesshomaru handed Kagome a silver flask filled with a brownish liquid..

She grunted as it's weight was transferred to her and voiced, "Kami, how is this so heavy? It's only a liquid."

Sesshomaru answered in his usual cool manner, "I had the flask made very thick. It has to last 500 years underground, remember?"

"Of course, I should have thought of that," Kagome scolded herself. Sesshomaru hid his smile. She always found a way to amuse him, even something so simple.

Kagome held the flask while Sesshomaru easily uncorked it. He drew a simple dagger from his deep sleeves and nicked the tip of his index finger. He waited for the blood to pool significantly before shaking his finger above the top of the flask. A single drop of his red blood fell into the container which he then corked without much trouble. His finger had already healed by the time he was stashing the dagger back from where he had drew it from.

"A drop of my demon blood to complete the ritual before we bury it," Sesshomaru related to Kagome.

He gently took the flask back a gave it a swirl to mix the blood with the boiled leaves of the Tree of Emoceba Anomede. With a flick of his wrist, his poison whip came into his hand. After another flick, a three-foot-deep hole (a/n because were pretending they know American measurements here. Downward and Onward!) appeared in the ground by the base of the massive tree. Sesshomaru placed the flask in the hole before covering up. He stepped back from his work and put his hand around Kagome's waist.

"Is that it? Is the ritual complete?" asked Kagome quietly.

"Almost," replied Sesshomaru before spinning Kagome completely around to face him and stealing a kiss from her. Almost as quick as it had happened, he released her and started walking to the bone-eater's well.

Kagome's hand went to her lips for a few seconds before she could finally realize what had just happened. "Hey! I don't think that was on the original agenda for the ritual!" Nevertheless, she hurried after him.

Sesshomaru just smirked and said, "Perhaps."

_end flashback_

Now they were in modern times and all they had to do was retrieve the flask from the ground under the tree-and pray it was still there...and inform Kagome's family of what they were planning to do. Sesshomaru did NOT look forward to that!

"Well, let's get this over with. We should dig up the Drink of Anomede first in case it's not there and before we uselessly explain the whole becoming a demon thing to my family," voiced Kagome in a whisper as if afraid to wake someone- it felt like it was late at night but really the last tendrils of light had just vanished from the sky. Sesshomaru gazed upon his mate's apprehension and allowed himself to indulge in a small smile. Kagome glared at him.

"What's so funny?" she asked defensively, her anger flaring forth as she place her hands on her hips.

Sesshomaru looked at the night stars so it would appear as if he were talking to himself rather than Kagome and sighed, "To think that she is more scared of her mother than this Demon Lord of the Western Lands. Either she's insane or I've gone soft."

"Just remember that this _miko_ can purify this demon lord's ass if he makes her mad enough," replied Kagome giving Sesshomaru a playful poke in the side.

"But then, what would you tell Rin, I wonder? We promised that BOTH of us would return to her by morning. That means no purifying my...posterior before then."

Kagome shoved a shovel she had been retrieving from a shed into Sesshomaru's hands ordering, "Just dig, oh high and mighty, and we might be able to keep our promise."

"Yes milady," mocked Sesshomaru, easily removing the soil from the base of the Goshinboku tree where they had buried the silver flask. He soon bent down over the hole and fished out a worn looking flask, no longer silver but stained a reddish brown from the mud. He delicately held it before gently shaking it. They could hear the sluggish slosh of liquid inside. It appeared that the drink of Anomede had indeed lasted 500 years.

A smile came to both Sesshomaru and Kagome's faces as they locked eyes before Kagome popped up and quickly kissed him. She then took his clawed hand that wasn't holding the once-silver flask and drug him to the house.

"Mom! Souta! Gramps! I'm home!" she shouted as she entered the house.

"Sis!" came Souta's answering yell, "We're in the kitchen!"

Still dragging the demon lord along, Kagome made her way to the kitchen, finally releasing his to receive hugs from her family members.

"Kagome! Welcome back! It's been a while. And look, you brought Lord Sesshomaru with you!" greeted Kagome's mother. Her voice then turned to a whisper, but Sesshomaru's highly sensitive ears heard every word, "Be sure to keep a closer eye on him this time, Kagome. He made the newspaper last time he was here. I saved it for you, look over there on the counter."

Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously at Sesshomaru, who took an unconscious step backward. Kagome was scary when she was angry, he silently gulped.

Kagome grabbed up a paper from the counter, her eyes found Sesshomaru's picture on the front page- not a very good one, but still recognizably Sesshomaru, seemingly flying across the moon between two tall buildings. She quickly skimmed the article which was nothing really definite, just a bunch of conjectures people had for what Sesshomaru was. Some thought that he was the angel of life, others thought he was the angel of death. There was even a quote from some senile old man who believed the demon lord was a new missile technology and claimed that Japan must be falling behind in the technical race and should therefore bomb every neighboring country. Kagome sweat dropped as she read the name to the old man who made that quote- Grandpa! She finished skimming the article noticing that there was no mention of demons and nothing to contribute the sighting with the Higurashi family.

"Sesshomaru?" whimsically called Kagome in a fake sweet voice, "Care to explain?"

Sesshomaru took the proffered newspaper, recognized himself on the front page and feared for his posterior-for she would surely purify it later. He outwardly kept his cool and played it off as no big thing. "I went exploring last time I was here. Apparently you people have invented the technology to freeze time in a painting. I was not aware and would have been more wary if I had been."

'Oh, he's good,' thought Grandpa at the way Sesshomaru easily played it off and lessened Kagome's anger.

"Ahem," coughed Kagome's mother, "I'm sure you two can settle this later. But perhaps there is a bit of explaining to do now?" she offered. She was not one to miss the way this demon and her daughter were holding hands when they came in, nor the way Sesshomaru protectively watched over her, nor, and the biggest reason, was that Kagome had a crescent moon on her forehead that matched the demon's. Kagome's mother didn't know much about demons or their customs, but she believed that mark must be something significant.

"Indeed," nodded Sesshomaru while Kagome suggested that Souta go play his video games. Souta complained till Kagome sent him a glare strong enough to burn. He grudgingly trudged upstairs.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Kagome looked at Sesshomaru before speaking, "Mom, Gramps, you know what marriage is to humans?" She waited for them to befuddledly nod before she continued, "Well, that's what mating is to demons. Instead of rings, they exchange bite marks." Here, she paused to show them her mating mark. "And the female also gets the male's family's mark." This time she lightly trace Sesshomaru crescent moon before her own. Kagome took a deep breathe before plunging into her story, which was now both her and Sesshomaru's story. Everything from the time they met to the Drink of Anomede and why they had come this night, Kagome related to her mother and her grandpa. Once she was finally done, she held her breathe and waited for her family's response. She could feel Sesshomaru stiffen beside her as well.

Her mother finally broke the silence, "Kagome, why don't you go take a nice long, hot bath?"

Kagome bowed her head before , while giving Sesshomaru's hand a reassuring squeeze and then obiedently leaving.

Once she was gone, Kagome's mother got up from where she had been sitting by the table and began pacing the length of the kitchen. Finally she stopped and looked up at Sesshomaru dangerously. (Now he knows where Kagome gets it from.)

"Lord Sesshomaru, was it?" Kagome's mother asked him. He nodded and she continued, "I do not allow my daughter to go to the feudal era to search for husbands or mates or whatever you call it. I do not allow her to go to put herself in danger nor to get injured nor to die. I do not allow her to go so that she can repeatedly come back her with a broken heart. I only allow her to go because she so strongly feels that she has to correct the problem she caused with the Shikon Jewel. I only allow her to go because she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't take the chance to help others, even if the burden is not hers to bear. I only allow her to go because she is a smart girl able to make her own decisions without me there telling her what to do. So I won't interfere in her life, because she has chosen you. But tell me, Lord Sesshomaru, and look me in the eye: Do you honestly love my daughter?"

Sesshomaru looked Kagome's mother in the eye, not blinking once. "I love Kagome," spoke the demon lord, "more than anything, more than my own life. I would die for her."

"Don't die for her," Kagome's mother whispered, "Live for her, and make sure she knows exactly how you feel. That's the only thing that will make this work. I know, from experience. I lost Kagome's father to sickness, but I never regretted meeting him or falling in love with him. Treat her well, for I know she will do the same to you. You have my blessings."

"And mine as well," announced Grandpa, "even if you are a demon."

Sesshomaru growled defensively but was cut off by Kagome's grandpa with another question, "We know how Kagome's going to become a demon, but not the why. Why does Kagome need to become a demon?"

"She doesn't need to," answered Sesshomaru, "I accept her human self. But as the opportunity is offered for her to become a demon, why not take it? She will not change, except for the fact that she will be stronger, and she will probably have different color of hair and eyes, but her personality will remain. And she'll be able to live beside me for near eternity. I don't want to lose her."

"But still," mused Grandpa out loud, "A demon in our family's blood?" He paused. He looked extremely deep in thought before finally saying, "We'll just have to overlook it, I guess."

Sesshomaru stood, sensing that both the conversation had come to an end and that Kagome was approaching the kitchen door. "Excuse me, Mrs. Higurashi, but I must collect my mate and return to my time before we break a promise to my ward and Shippo."

"Very well, and Sesshomaru, remember what I said, treat her well."

The demon lord bowed his head to the human before meeting his mate in the hallway. "I believe it is time to leave." Kagome nodded then went and hugged her family.

Kagome's mother questioned her, "Kagome, when will you come back next?"

"For me? 500 years," he mother looked ready to pass out so she quickly added with a smile, "For you? Tomorrow. Bye."

They took their leave and walked to the well house, the flask they had dug up safely within Sesshomaru's pocket.

Jumping through the well, they made good time returning to the castle. It was after midnight, but they were still greeted by wide-awake children who merrily danced around them before Rin attached herself to Sesshomaru's leg and Shippo crawled into Kagome's arms. It seemed so strange to Sesshomaru how quickly the four went from being so alone in this world, to the beginnings of a family. Sesshomaru smiled fondly before realizing the children should not be up this late.

"Jaken," he called out coolly. The toad appeared bowing before his lord. "Why are the children out of bed at this hour?"

"My Lord!" he squeaked fearfully, "They were too upset by your absence to sleep. They wanted to stay awake and wait for your arrival."

"Very well, but let me assure you I will not allow this again. I expect the children to be in bed at an appropriate time every night, or it shall be your head. Do you understand?"

"Yes-s, yes, my lord. I understand!" he bowed once more to the lord before squeaking, "Children! Come with me. Time to go to bed."

The children reluctantly followed Jaken while Kagome followed Sesshomaru up to his private study where two glasses sat waiting on the desk. He opened the silver flask carefully, years of mud and decay coating his hands and staining his white Kimono. He looked inside the flask and saw only a little amount of a thick semi-liquid that was the Drink of Anomede. He silently wondered why he even had the notion to think that anything that had sat in a bottle underground for 500 years would look any more appealing than this brownish-gray junk.

But he was glad to see that there was a least two mouthfuls of the thick liquid. Sesshomaru heard Kagome make an "eww" sound as a mouthful's worth plunked into one of the glasses on the desk with a sickening splatter. Sesshomaru emptied the flask into the other glass-just enough for another mouthful.

This entire process was done in silence other than Kagome occasional sounds of disgust. It seemed to hold an value of reverence equal to that of something spiritual. No words were necessary.

Kagome made one last look of disgust before grabbing one of the glasses and holding it up to her eye-level taking in all of it's brown-gray chunky goodness. She sighed, "Bottoms up then." and chugged it in one swallow.

As soon as it hit her tongue, Sesshomaru could begin to feel a slight demonic aura spreading throughout Kagome's body- it seemed to flash once before it began to get stronger at a slow but constant rate.

Kagome held up 10 fingers, counting down on them. Once she reached zero she exclaimed, "Well, it hasn't killed me yet! Should we let Rin have the other glass now?"

Sesshomaru shook his head, putting the glass away after covering the top. "No," he said, "I think we should first discover what to expect from this transformation. It may be painful, and if that is the case, we should wait until she is older and give the choice to her to make."

"Always the logical one, aren't we, Sesshomaru?" Laughed Kagome, but then thought about how she was like a laboratory animal at that moment. "Does this make me the guinea pig?" she asked.

"I do not know what a guinea pig is, but you are becoming a real bitch," said Sesshomaru in a dead-pan voice while standing up to leave the room.

Kagome fumed in anger for a few before realizing that he was just teasing her on the fact that she was becoming a female inu demon-a bitch, yet she wanted to make sure. "Hey! You're only joking right?" she called after him.

"This Sesshomaru never jokes," intone Sesshomaru while hiding his smile.

"Well, then this Sesshomaru should find another bed to sleep in besides this Kagome's- hey! What do you think you're doing? Put me down!" squealed Kagome, and for good reason. After her mock threat, Sesshomaru had picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, still walking to his room.. His only answer to her query was, "Going to bed."

Early the next morning, Sesshomaru was awoken by a scream of pain from Kagome beside him in bed. About as quickly as it had come, Kagome's scream came to an abrupt end, along with her breathing and heart beat. Sesshomaru panicked, picking her up in his arms and cradling her limp body. His eyes stained red as he registered that there must've been a complication with the Drink of Anomede, something wasn't done right, or...or... something! His mind was racing. It had killed her instead of making her a demon. He had lost his mate because of his foolish wish for her to become a demon. He held her chest close to his ear, trying to find even the slightest heartbeat. There was nothing but silence. Sesshomaru threw his head back and gave an almighty mournful roar.

* * *

**A/N: **I thought it was about time for a really badly placed cliff-hanger. I know you just hate me now... 


	16. Chapter 16

-1**A/N:** I know you hate me...this chapter was originally part of the last, but after I typed the bit about Kagome dying, I figured I'd leave you a tension filled cliff-hanger. I'm surprised no one asked me in a review just exactly how many times could I kill Kagome in one story. The answer? You'll see...

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_Sesshomaru was awoken by a scream of pain from Kagome beside him in bed. About as quickly as it had come, Kagome's scream came to an abrupt end, along with her breathing and heart beat. Sesshomaru panicked, picking her up in his arms and cradling her limp body. His eyes stained red as he registered that there must've been a complication with the Drink of Anomede, something wasn't done right, or...or... something! His mind was racing. It had killed her instead of making her a demon. He had lost his mate because of his foolish wish for her to become a demon. He held her chest close to his ear, trying to find even the slightest heartbeat. There was nothing but silence. Sesshomaru threw his head back and gave an almighty mournful roar._

His resounding howl echoed through the castle, waking the servants, guards, and children. Sesshomaru's heart paced and his breathing became ragged. His chest felt like it was being torn in two. He began rocking back and forth with Kagome in his arms.

'Noooo!!!!' he screamed in his head, 'Not now, not yet, not ever! I won't let it happen, even if I have to go to the Afterlife and drag her soul back with me. Oh, no!!!! I never told her, never told her when she was awake...even after Sasarg warned me...I never told her how I felt about her...I never told her that...'

"I love you, Kagome!" The emotion in his voice, the tears that stung his eyes, the pain in his aura, they all testified the truth in his words as he desperately told his limp mate his heart. He closed his eyes and held her body closer.

"I always knew you did."

His head shot up, joy, sweet joy, overwhelming him. He looked into his mate's eyes, fearing that his sanity had finally broke and that he was imagining her voice. But no, her wonderful brown eyes looked back into his. They were filled with tears, loving tears of happiness. He couldn't help it when a tear fell from his eyes too- never had he once in his life even considered showing such weakness as crying. He was strong! Always! And here he was with a wet drop sliding down his cheek and he didn't care. He almost laughed, for he didn't care. Everything that had once mattered to him- appearances, titles, strength- it all disappeared as he held on to this one little human miko with a heart unlike anyone else's.

She giggled and reached up to wipe away his tear. Sniffing, she said, "I know why I'm crying, I'm so happy, but why are you?"

"I thought I had lost you," murmured Sesshomaru quietly, resting his forehead against hers, "and I didn't know what to do once you were gone. Promise you'll never die on me again."

More tears leaked out of Kagome's eyes, "I'll promise as long as you stay alive for me."

He nodded, "Let me hold you while you sleep. I don't want anything to happen to you," said Sesshomaru as he positioned Kagome so that she was leaning against his chest.

"Never let _anything_ happen to me again. Well, that sounds boring." Yet she consented and soon she was asleep again, but not before she mumbled, "I love you too, Sesshomaru."

Once she settled down, Sesshomaru listened to her breathing. It felt wonderful just to hear that simple noise again. He silently wondered why she had stopped breathing in the first place. His eyes narrowed as his brow creased in thought. Then he heard it- the sound of her heart. The youkai from the drink must have finally hit her heart and started to transform it into a demon heart. He listened to its beat. It was louder as it pumped the blood through her body along with youkai energy. It must've only stopped to allow it time to reconstruct itself to its new youkai needs. It seemed stronger already. All hypothesis aside, he knew that above all and if nothing else, the girl's heart belonged to him, and his to her, forevermore.

(A/n:blah, too much fluff...need...more...action, and bloodshed, can't forget the bloodshed. I'll get to work on that in the next chapter, just bear through the fluffiness for a little longer...;p)

The demon lord woke mid-morning, nearly afternoon, his mate still asleep on his chest. Or, at least he assumed she was his mate- she had his mark and still smelled like Kagome, yet the sight he met was very different. It appeared the Drink of Anomede felt like changing her appearance sometime between him falling asleep after it had effectively killed his mate and his waking. He couldn't say the changes were unpleasant.

He nuzzled her neck until she awoke. She put up quite a fight until Sesshomaru merely got up from the bed- lifting her with him- and stood her on her feet beside a mirror in the room. She glanced at her reflection before doing a double take. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the physical changes.

The first thing she noticed were her ears, no longer humanoid, but pointed in the demon variety. One of her ears was being nibbled by Sesshomaru while the other was hidden beneath her hair. Her once ebony hair had turned gold. It shone with a light of its own in the semi-dark room. Every movement made it glitter and sparkle. She was pleased as it was beautiful, and soft, she noticed as she ran a hand through it. Sesshomaru took up that action as she looked for further changes. Her brown eyes were gone, and now pure silver stared back at her. Sesshomaru's crescent moon was still upon her forehead, but now it accompanied a single scarlet demon streak on each cheek and marks on her eyelids in deep plum.

"I look like a human version on the leaves of the tree of Emoceba Anomede. It has the scarlet tops, with the deep plum bottom, and trimmed and veined in gold. I guess I should be glad I didn't turn green like that guardian guy Sasarg, but I wonder why my eyes are silver," Kagome told Sesshomaru while leaning forward to better look at her demonic marks.

"The tree had silver bark. Perhaps that's why," he said while lifting up the back of her shirt. He had caught the sight of something back there when she leaned forward. His claws lightly traced the demonic mark on her lower back- a simplified tattoo of the 13-branched tree of Emoceba Anomede was there in the same deep plum color as the bottom of the leaves.

"How provocative," he growled seductively.

"So I've noticed," answered Kagome studying the newfound mark. "I wonder if I have any demonic abilities yet?"

"Let us go find out," said Sesshomaru.

They went to Sesshomaru's dojo at the back of his castle where Kagome first tried to keep up with him when he ran- tried and failed. Apparently, her speed was still human, as was her strength they later found out. It seemed that, on the first day of the transformation, only her appearance changed to that of a demon.

"Mommy's even more beautiful! Shippo come look!" screamed Rin when they all came together for lunch. The kids were thrilled to find out their mother was soon to become a demon.

The rest of the day passed quickly and Kagome could sense her demonic powers growing stronger. She fell asleep in Sesshomaru's arms wondering what changes would await her on the morrow.

She woke the next morning purring. She couldn't help it, even when she tried to stop. Something was sending the most pleasant feeling up her back bone. She opened her eyes to figure out what could be causing her such contentment and found that Sesshomaru was petting her- well, petting her new tail.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted, still dragging his fingers through her golden tail in a tickling sensation.

"So I grew a tail last night?" she asked obviously.

He nodded, still never letting go of her tail, and added, "And claws and fangs."

Kagome held up her fingers and indeed, she did have claws. Running her tongue over her teeth, she nearly sliced her tongue with her new and sharp fangs. She winced.

Sesshomaru chuckled, finally letting go of her tail as her lowered his lips to hers, and kissed her. He slid his tongue over her lips and was granted access as he too ran his tongue over Kagome's new fangs. They finally drew away, breathless and Kagome could taste Sesshomaru's blood in her mouth.

She instantly felt sorry for hurting him. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"For what? You're perfect," he said offering her a hand to help her off the bed.

"But I hurt you," she pressed.

"This Sesshomaru does not get hurt, he gets even."

"What!?!"

"I'm sure Rin would love to hear how you purr when someone rubs your tail," he said, pretending to be serious.

"You wouldn't!" flared Kagome. Rin would be murder- constantly pulling and rubbing her tail until Kagome purred.

"We shall see." And with that, Sesshomaru walked off, a smug smirk on his face.

O0o.o0O

"Inuyasha, I think we're lost," offered Miroku one evening as the sun was setting, many days after they had first begun the trip to find Inutaisho's castle, to find Kagome.

"I'm not lost!" barked Inuyasha grumpily.

Sango's feet were dragging as she continued at Inuyasha's brisk pace, Kohaku was asleep on Kirara. Miroku pressed Inuyasha again. "Then care to explain why we've been walking for days and have passed that river bank twice?"

"The river bank looks the same everywhere on the river. Just because it looks like it, doesn't mean we're walking in circles," growled Inuyasha. He was looking for the river bank Miroku was talking about, sending glares at every river stone and sparkle of water. He knew Miroku was right, he could smell that they had already come this way, but he really didn't know where else to look for his father's castle. He had never been there before.

"Then why is it taking us so long to get there? I thought for sure that we'd be there by now," said Sango. She really want to see her best friend too, but at the pace Inuyasha was going, they'd only see the afterlife if they continued.

"We're taking the long way to it then," snapped the half-demon, "Sesshomaru wouldn't expect that."

"That's because he's sane Inuyasha, which is more than I can say for you. When you said you'd lead the way, I assumed you would know where you were going" expressed Miroku, "Just admit it, Inuyasha, you're lost."

"No! I'm not lost!"

"Are you sure?" asked Miroku, but didn't wait for an answer as he continued, "Because if I were your father, Lord of the WESTERN lands, I think I'd but my castle in the WEST."

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. He looked for the setting sun- it was on his back. 'Damn!' he thought, 'Suns sets in the west. I'm leading them east. Pay more attention you moron.'

Inuyasha gave a frustrated growl and began stamping his way in the other direction, this time towards the Western lands.

"Inuyasha," groaned Sango, "Let's just rest here for the night. We're human, we need to rest. Surely you must be tired."

"No! You can stay here if you want, but I'm going to go find Kagome!"

"Why? So you can tell her you just abandoned her friends in the middle of the wilderness. Come on Inuyasha, you're acting childish," scolded Sango.

"I actually wouldn't mind be abandoned in the middle of nowhere with you, Sango. Then, we could cuddle for warmth and nobody could interrupt us when-"

The lecherous monk never got to finish as Sango had knocked him unconscious with her boomerang. "Hentai!" she murmured, yet not as angrily as one would think. She then addressed Inuyasha, "Inuyasha, we're staying the night here."

Inuyasha 'feh'ed before jumping up in a tree limb to rest. Sango was nearly as scary as Kagome when she was angry. At least there were no 'sits' coming his way after he had a fight with Sango though.

Tomorrow, he promised himself that he would find his father's castle, where Sesshomaru lived. He'd never been there before, but he was determined to find it nonetheless.

O0o.o0O

Kagome awoke the third morning after she had drank the drink of Anomede to find her senses overpowered. Everything suddenly had a smell, she had just never realized it before. Even Sesshomaru smelled like something- spiced oranges and something unidentifiable, but still pleasant- like a fresh wind smell she guessed. She buried her nose in his hair to block out all the other smells trying to offend her. However, as soon as she ended the scent discomfort, she could hear everything so well. Sesshomaru's heart beat pounded in her eardrums, the bees outside the castle seemed like they were flying around inside her head, and the children's laughter was sharp and pierced her hearing. It all made her crawl into a little ball and hold her hands over her ears.

This distress awoke her mate who instantly knew what was wrong. He just sat by her, soothingly rubbing her back and waiting for her to get used to the new level of senses. That was how they spent that day.

By the next, Kagome had it all under control and had woken to find new scarlet markings on her wrists. They indicated that she had poison at her disposal now. Shortly after the morning meal, and after accidentally melting two tea cups with her touch, Sesshomaru took Kagome to the woods to practice.

"You must learn what the poison glands feel like under your skin," instructed Sesshomaru, "Then, you need only to think about flexing those glands for the poison to start to drip. If you want to control it, just imagine that it's flowing down your wrist and into a rope. After its long enough, catch the poison rope and snap it to make it into a whip. Very good, though yours is a little too long for a beginner. You could end up catching yourself with it if you're not careful. How about a test; Try to hit that tree over there." Birds flew away in a frenzy as the tree came down. "Hmm...you seem to be a natural with this, or are you just used to whipping people?" He teased. The fury in her glare made him suddenly promise himself that he would never anger her again. He just prayed that she would put the demonic poison whip down before she killed him with it.She cracked it dangerously by his foot. Not one to give up, he took matters into his own hands, after all, he not only was Lord of the Western Lands, but also the creator of this beautiful little monster.

Using his demonic speed, he quickly pinned her to the ground, straddling her waist and holding her hands above her head, where the poison whip instantly disappeared.

"Uncle!" she called.

"Your uncle is not going to save you from me," he said, an predatory look in his eyes as they feasted on his mate.

"But we promised to go on that picnic with the kids," she reminded him.

He pulled himself off her muttering, "Spoilsport," only to have her steal a kiss from him before running back up to the castle. He casually followed. 'Oh, how he was addicted to her' his conscience murmured deeply inside his own head. The once feared, coldest, Ice Prince to top them all, that never took crap from anyone, was submitting freely to the whims of one female. Fate was laughing at him assuredly.

The next two days found the two testing Kagome's newly gained speed and then strength. They once again found themselves in the dojo, though this time, Sesshomaru had trouble out-running Kagome. She zipped around the training area faster than one's eyes could follow making it appear as if she were really just teleporting from one side to the other. Her strength was also glorious and she had pinned Sesshomaru 6 times out of 10 as they sparred. Weary and sweaty, they headed back to the castle for baths and then bed. Kagome was counting on her fingers of skills she had yet to gain from the potion. She couldn't think of any more she had to gain, yet she still had one day left of the transformation. Sesshomaru knew what was missing, but decided to wait for her to discover it herself.

She looked in the mirror the next morning to only see a slight difference- another scarlet demonic mark on each cheek, giving her two on each cheek total. "Sesshomaru? What do these marks mean?"

Sesshomaru lightly traced them with a gentle claw as he answered, "They are the marks of a taiyoukai. Now, your demonic power is great, and you can transform."

"Transform? As in like a big silver dog?"

"Or a golden one in your case, but yes, an Inu taiyoukai." He lightly kissed her forehead, "I shall teach you, come."

"Okay, but I have to know something. If I'm done transforming, shouldn't we start trying to find Naraku again and put an end to him?"

"You can sense his jewel shards now, correct?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Yeah..." confirmed Kagome but not really knowing where he was going with it.

"Then, as soon as he is within one day's journey, we shall take off after him. His castle moves every night, so if he's not within one day's travel, then we are chasing after smoke in the sky- he'll disappear before we can get to him."

"But shouldn't we tell my friends, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha? They deserve a chance to defeat, or at least help defeat Naraku. He's messed with each one of their lives."

"I will send a messenger to lead them to the castle, if it pleases you. They may stay here while we wait for Naraku to show himself. They may fight alongside us if they wish," agreed Sesshomaru, leading the way to a clearing outside the castle so that they would have room to transform. A plan started to form in his head. He didn't want Kagome to fight in this battle against Naraku- the evil hanyou had already killed his mate once, and Tensaiga couldn't revive her again. Sesshomaru would find a way for her to agree to stay out of this upcoming conflict. He would not risk losing her ever again!

Sesshomaru turned his mind from his slight scheming and began instructing Kagome again. He told her how to enrage her youkai, while maintaining control. As a side note, he told her to concentrate on growing her fur outside of her clothes so that when she resumed her humanoid state, she wouldn't be naked.

Her eyes closed in concentration and when she opened them again, they were red. Her mouth and nose expanded and became a snout, her backbone curved as golden hair began sprouting from it. She grew into a monstrous size and her tail came off her shoulder to rest like a dog's does. Her pointed ears moved upwards and folded into huge dog ears. Soon, a golden beast stood where Kagome once had.

She pranced about the clearing a bit, wagging her tail much to Sesshomaru's enjoyment. After a few playful pounces at him, he transformed into his giant dog form and play wrestled with her. Every time she would pin him, she would lick his face, coating his shining fur with her spit. To a human, it seemed disgusting, but to an Inu youkai, it was sexually appetizing(just ask Sesshomaru).

Sesshomaru transformed back into his humanoid form and waited for Kagome to do the same. The golden beast closed its eyes once more in concentration and gradually shrunk in size. Its snout receded and left a cute nose and lush kissable lips. Sesshomaru was slightly disappointed to see that Kagome had managed to concentrate enough to keep her clothes, but he had already developed a workable plan.

"Come, there is only one test of your new powers left to do," beckoned Sesshomaru, pulling one of his all-time-favorite graceful walk-aways leaving Kagome to follow in his footsteps.

"Another test?" asked a befuddled human miko turned miko-demon, "What is it?"

"It is a test of endurance, and shall be held in my bed chambers, as soon as I send a messenger to retrieve your friends. I suggest you prepare, I will not go easy."

Kagome paused with an happy smile on her face, dreaming of what was to come. "I'll tell Jaken to watch the kids. I plan on passing this test with flying colors." She ran off with demonic speed leaving Sesshomaru with a smile...that is until he remember what exactly he had planned. Then his smile turned into a guilt-ridden frown.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm sure many of you can figure out what he has planned, and if you don't, it'll all be revealed in a short time. It seems Sessho's starting to finally feel the after effects of Sasarg turning him human on the mountain with the tree of Emoceba Anomede. hmmmm...my sessho's an ooc whirlwind...uhhhh...make that hurricane. Sorry 'bout that... 

Anyway, here's some stats for this story so far: reviews: 149; hits: 27220; c2s: 3; on favs list of 65 peps, and 112 people have selected to be alerted of an update. I'm so proud!

Well, since we;ve reached the end of this chapter, could you be so kind as to drop a line or two in the review box on your way out? Thank ye kindly,

Tiki Rane Gobell


	17. Chapter 17

-1**A/N:** I really should've been doing HW, but when the inspiration hits you , you just have to take it and risk failing your school courses. Here's the next chapter! Great job reviewing everybody! Thank You!

**Chapter 17**

Kagome did pass the endurance test with flying colors by Sesshomaru's standards. They hadn't left his bed chambers for three days, only sleeping for half of it. The human-turned-demon was still slumbering peacefully, but not for long.

Sesshomaru lightly nuzzled her neck, nipping at the mating mark he had giving her that fateful night a couple of weeks ago after he had resurrected her from the dead. It seemed impossible to him that things had worked out so easily, so perfectly, and that he could ever feel so wanted by a single person nor that he could want just one person so badly. He had never even used the 'so' word that many times in one thought before. And yet, even as the thought of these profound feelings for this miko curled up next to him began to stir, he could not help but feel bitterly angry at himself. He was manipulating her and she would hopefully never find out.

He had found the one person his heart desired to be with, but this Naraku-hanyou threatened to take her from him. There was a final battle coming up, he could feel it within his warrior blood, and Naraku was already targeting the taiyoukai's miko mate. If Sesshomaru wasn't careful, he could lose his beloved and be left alone in this world again. Sure, he would have his retainer Jaken and Rin as well, but they couldn't give him what his mate could, and now, here he was in the midst of a plan to keep her out of the upcoming battle that she had been waiting for years to come.

His plan was simple: give her a justifiable reason to stay out of the fight therefore she wouldn't argue with it. He had already completed his plan. Sometime, in the last three nights of sleeping with her (in which little resting of the mind or body was achieved, mind you), he had combined himself with her to form a new life-a child. He had gotten her pregnant. Already, as his hand rested on her abdomen, he could feel the subtle change in power beginning. Only himself and his mate would be able to feel it for a while, but soon, in a month or two, others would be able to tell that she was with child, that she was with his pup. A certain pride invaded his spirit, overpowering his guilt at having to use such low tactics to protect his mate without her knowledge. She would still want to fight, but there would be no way she risk endangering the baby's life to do so.

Kagome began to slowly stir from sleep, mumbling something incoherent before her eyes cracked open to see who was breathing hotly on her cheek.

"Sesshomaru..." she whispered softly and lovingly, his name passing easily off of her lips as if they were meant only for it, which they were.

Sesshomaru kissed her sweetly, not too passionately or lustfully, simply light and sweet- a reminder of his affections. He took her hand and placed it where his had been laying not seconds before.

"Can you feel it, Kagome?" he hushedly asked her.

She nodded. There was some sort of strange aura. "What is it?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her free hand.

"Ours," was all he said before kissing her again.

"Ours?" she echoed him. He nodded. She whispered in awe, "I'm pregnant?" He nodded again, nuzzling her neck again as she felt her stomach with both hands.

She gave him a kinky smile. "You sure it's yours?" she teased. She loved to play her little games knowing full well it turned him on.

"Without a doubt," he whispered into her neck, kissing it tenderly. He could remember making that child very well, for certainly it would be the most fun part of parenthood.

Kagome had a big smile on her face. "I can't believe it," she said, "We're going to be parents. I mean, we already have Shippo and Rin, but this one's actually _ours!_ Oh, it's going to be wonderful! There'll be a little Sesshomaru running around," she chuckled gleefully, "A little Sess-let."

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sure, he was happy, no doubt, but she was...overly ecstatic. After all, lots of people created little children each day, but 'Sess-let?' He certainly wasn't going to name his first child that, no matter how ecstatic it made his mate.

"Very wonderful," he said, only half-amused and at the edge of sarcastic, "however, we must prepare. The messenger I sent to retrieve your friends is returning. I sense my half brother approaching. We must be ready to make an appearance."

When nothing else seemed to make this girl into a morning person, the mere mention of her friends seemed to work miracles. No sooner were the words out of his mouth before she was jumping out of bed and getting herself ready for the day. She soon even drug Sesshomaru from the bed and forced him too to 'prepare' as he so called it.

Kagome was busy dragging a brush through her golden hair when she suddenly stopped and appeared worried. "I wonder what my friends will think when they see me," she mused why staring at her clawed hand. She had been human when she left them, but she wondered how they would treat her new demon self.

"Your fears are unwarranted," comforted Sesshomaru, "You chose your friends wisely. They will accept you no matter what you look like."

"And you too?"

"Hai, and myself included. You could be a dirty old gray-headed human, and I would still love you. But...I think I prefer you like this..." He gave a growl of approval.

Kagome gave a small smile, her tension leaking away. "How did I ever find such a mate as you?" she asked.

"You are not asking the right question. The question should be, 'How did this Sesshomaru ever manage to keep such a pure noble beauty?'"

"Big softy. I'd never imagine such fluff coming from your mouth," teased Kagome, continuing to get ready, not knowing that Sesshomaru was wondering the exact same thing.

O0o.o0O

"Shippo! Tag! You're it!" yelled Rin as she ran about the garden. Shippo chased after her to make her 'it' again. The game continued for a while under the watchful eyes of the toad-demon Jaken who knew full well that if any trouble befell the children before him, trouble would also befall his neck as Lord Sesshomaru separated his head from his body.

Rin and Shippo fell breathlessly into the grass beside Jaken to rest and watch the clouds.

"Look!" exclaimed Rin happily pointing at a big fluffy cumulus that mildly resembled a dog, "That one looks like Lord Sesshomaru! Rin misses him. Rin hasn't seen him in three whole days. Rin wonders if he's forgotten me."

Shippo gave a non-committal shrug. "I don't know. I really don't know Lord Sesshomaru that well."

"Really?" asked a bewildered Rin. "Rin thinks Lord Sesshomaru is wonderful. He saved Rin's life many times. If Rin had a daddy, she would want him to be like Lord Sesshomaru."

"Maybe he would make a good dad for you Rin. Maybe I'll be able to find one too," voiced a depressed Kitsune youkai. He continued to watch the sky. His face brightened immediately. "Hey, Rin look at that one!" he pointed at another cloud which had caught the morning sun's rays just right to make it golden at the edges. "That one looks like Mama."

"Yeah!" whispered Rin in awe as the two dog-like clouds drifted together in the sky, "Just like Mama." But the high winds in the sky soon took hold of the two clouds, breaking apart their features until only two small fragments remained. Rin giggled, "Those kind of look like puppies."

Shippo rolled his eyes. He apparently couldn't see the same shapes in this new formation of clouds as Rin. All he could see were cotton balls. He gave it up.

"Foolish children," came Jaken's high-pitched voice, "You are both orphans. Who could you be referring to as mother?"

"Lady Kagome, of course, Master Jaken," smile Rin, her gap in her front teeth and her sideways pony tail making her all the cuter. Neither of the children had seen their adoptive mother in three days either. They were beginning to worry.

"Hmpfff, that wench! I still stick to it that Lord Sesshomaru can't be serious about her!" He had craftily overlooked seeing her mating mark the few times they had met and had completely avoided her since she had returned from that trip with his Lord. "Human Trash, she is, unfit for a demon such as Lord Sesshomaru!"

CRACK!

Sesshomaru's poison whip gorged a deep hole, centimeters from the toad-demon's toe. Jaken gulped nervously as he threw himself face-down at the dog demon's feet.

"It would not be advisable to speak so unwell of Lady Kagome," the taiyoukai said coldly and dangerously. "If it happens again, I will not hesitate to take your life."

A shiver ran through the retainer at the promise in those words. He risked taking a glance upwards and caught the sight of his silver lord, but beside him, was a very beautiful golden inu youkai.

"My Lord," he gleefully exclaimed to himself, not realizing that the demon lord could hear him full well. "It seems you have taken my advice and moved on from that human miko! She was easily replaceable, I see, by this demon beauty!"

CRACK!

This whip was different. True, it had the same effect of gorging a hole into ground by the retainer's feet, but it had a hint of purification powers in its scent. Jaken looked into the demoness' face fully, a face that seemed oddly familiar. Then the demoness spoke, and his blunder became apparent.

"I can hear you, you know? And I do not go by human, wench, miko, or any variations of those names. I am Kagome: Ka-go-me, if you need it more clearly defined! I will spare your life now because I appreciate you watching over the children and because, though you didn't mean to, you paid me a compliment by calling me a beauty."

Jaken was flustered, to say the least at such a surprise, and even a little frustrated to see that the human wench had not truly left. One could say that he was a little _flustrated_ then. Even more so, he was confused. 'How could this Miko change species?' he asked himself. The children weren't surprised at her appearance, so apparently he was very behind in the happenings of the castle. He would have to remedy that soon. For now though...

"Jaken, make yourself useful and greet my brother and his friends at the castle gate. I've already ordered my father's barrier to allow them entrance. See to it that they are shown in to us properly and have rooms prepared for them in the guest wing. We'll be waiting in the Dining Hall."

"Come on, kids," Kagome called, almost as if she were calling a dog. The children ran up, faces beaming and the merry little group made their merry little way to the dining room. It was a smaller room off the Dining Hall's vast room. The Dining Hall was only used for formal occasions as it was much too large to be of any use everyday. This smaller room had all the eating necessities close enough by that one didn't need to holler for a servant to pass the salt, please.

The castle cook had all sorts of breakfast goodies laid out on the table, and though the children had already eaten once, they eagerly sat down at the table for a second go at the scrumptious food.

Shippo was just getting ready to bite into a heavily jellied biscuit when a hard smack to the back of his head made him drop it- drop it straight into a waiting clawed hand. The clawed hand quickly threw it into the fanged mouth of Inuyasha, who chewed it loud and obnoxiously.

"Thanks for the food, runt," he said through the food still in his mouth.

"Inuyasha!" reprimanded a dangerous voice.

Inuyasha eyes grew wide in fear, for that was the voice of Kagome. He looked around searching for her, but all he saw was a fuming demoness sitting next to his brother. He didn't realize who that demoness was until he saw her lips form the word.."SIT!" and he was subdued, right on his face as always.

"Inuyasha! You shouldn't treat Shippo like that! He's only a kid and you could actually hurt him!"

Inuyasha was in shock, well, that was an understatement. He had come all this way ( he took the 'long way' as he described it before leading the group straight into a bog. They washed the filth off themselves and found a messenger from the Lord Sesshomaru awaiting their presence at his castle saying that they should follow him. Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku eagerly followed the strange demon. Anything was better than being led straight into another bog.) to see if Kagome was mated to his half-brother only to find that she had switched species on him during their time apart.

He looked at her features closer. She looked pretty much the same except for the golden hair, the silvery eyes, the tail, and the demonic ears and markings. Actually, she looked a great deal better and could be described as gorgeous and ravishing. It was a good thing Inuyasha's jaw was attached to the rest of his face, or it would've hit the floor. He simply stared at the girl who used to love him. He could tell that he didn't have a chance- he could clearly see Sesshomaru's crescent moon on her forehead and smell the taiyoukai all over her- and she looked happy, happy to be mated to the demon lord, of all things.

A possessive growling caught the half demon's ear and he quickly stopped staring and closed his mouth.

Sesshomaru warned, "I did not bring you here to gawk at my mate, Inuyasha."

"Then why did you bring me here?" asked Inuyasha bitterly.

"OH! Kagome, you are so beautiful!" came Sango's voice. The rest of the usual gang had first gone to their rooms to clean up before meeting the Lord of the Western Lands. She ran towards Kagome who met her halfway for a hug and essentially ending the high tension of the room, and not giving Sesshomaru a chance to reply.

Miroku waited for his chance to greet Kagome and thankfully kept his roaming hands to himself, well, actually, just to Sango, who quickly slapped him across the cheek. "Hentai!" Kohaku just silently took a place next to Rin, not saying a word. He was usually quiet unless it was absolutely necessary that he responded. Sango just believed he was depressed because he remembered all the bad things he had done. Rin chattered ceaselessly but cheerfully to him the entire time and Shippo just silently seethed at Inuyasha. 'I'll get you Inuyasha. Just you wait.'

The visitors sat down for the morning meal and Miroku began a conversation. "Lady Kagome, it is strange to see you as a demon, but tell us, how did this happen?"

Kagome smiled sweetly before going into the same story she had told her mother and grandpa- it was quickly becoming one of her favorites to tell. She finished about a good while later, "...And so I only became a full demon three days ago and I'm still getting used to the changes- I can understand the shock it is to you all."

"It's not really that bad," comforted Sango, "after all, you're still the exact person we knew as a human."

"Thanks Sango," replied Kagome. Inuyasha just 'hmfed.' Kagome turned to him, suddenly feeling her patience wane, "What Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha just shook his head stubbornly. He finally asked, "Are you going to tell us why you brought us here?" He aimed his question at his half-brother rather than the human-turned-demon miko.

"The final battle against Naraku approaches. I can feel it in the air. Kagome asked for me to summon you all believing you to have a right to be there at the fight when Naraku is destroyed. I summoned you here because only Kagome can sense where Naraku is. His castle moves every night so we must wait until it settles in one place for longer than that day. Once that happens, we will know that Naraku is waiting for us and we will finish this battle once and for all. Any other questions?" All heads in the room shook for 'no.' "Good, then you are free to wander about the castle or in the gardens. Food will always be prepared and be set upon this table for whenever you are hungry. And Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Might I suggest you take a bath. They're located down the hall of the guest wing. You smell like you've walked through a bog recently," said Sesshomaru with a smirk.

Inuyasha just growled angrily and walked out of the room and out of sight.

Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, even Rin and Shippo under Jaken's care soon followed. Some touring the grounds and some beginning a new game of tag. Sesshomaru deliberately stayed back so that he could speak with Kagome alone.

"Kagome," he began, knowing how hard it was going to be to convince her to stay out of the upcoming battle. He continued after he had her full attention, "I think it would be best if you stayed out of the final fight with Naraku-"

"WHAT?" she cut him off angrily.

"I'm not asking you to completely stay out. You may come along with us on the journey and lead us to Naraku, but when the final fight comes, I want to know that you're safe and away from the confrontation."

"AND JUST WHY? Do you think I'm not strong enough to fight Naraku? I've been fighting him for years and I don't plan to just hide safely when we finally have the chance to finish him!"

"I do not question your power or your strength. I know that you are strong, but, Kagome, he's already killed you once and I won't be able to bring you back with the sword if he kills you again."

"I'm not afraid to die!"

"I know you're not, but I won't risk it, especially now when we'd also be risking the life of our unborn child. If you won't stay out of this battle to protect your own life, would you at least do it to protect the unborn child?"

Kagome fell silent at this. She had completely forgotten that she was pregnant. It was still new to her. She placed a hand on her belly so that she could feel the baby's presence. She couldn't risk it, and she knew it. "For the baby, I will stay out of the fight. But if you die on me! Oh, know that I will come right into the afterlife and beat you to a pulp and then purify your ass!"

"I do not plan to be the one dying. I only plan to do the killing when we face Naraku."

"Good, and Sesshomaru? Don't tell the others just yet. I don't want them to worry over me and the baby. It'll just distract them while they should be focusing on fighting Naraku."

"I also believe that would be the best course of action."

O0o.o0O

Later that day, Shippo was still plotting revenge against Inuyasha for stealing his food that morning. He was busy putting red ink in a bottle of soap that was used as shampoo. He laughed at his own prank, 'I told you I'd make you pay Inuyasha. Just wait till you take that bath Sesshomaru told you to.'

O0o.o0O

Sesshomaru was in his study with the door slightly ajar allowing a cool breeze to filter through the room. He was busy doing paperwork and seeing to the needs of his kingdom. Kagome was sprawled out sideways on a chair reading a book.

They both looked up when they felt Shippo's presence gliding sneakily through the hallway and past the open door, not seeing them watching him. They could hear him chuckling to himself in impish glee.

Once he passed, Kagome went right back to reading, yet Sesshomaru seemed amused.

"Where is the kit sneaking off too, I wonder?"

"No doubt to prank Inuyasha. I wonder what mischief he has planned today. Hold on! Here's you a perfect opportunity Sesshomaru!"

"Opportunity for what, may I ask?"

"Opportunity to bond with Shippo, of course- share a common thrill, or being that it's Inuyasha, perhaps share a common enemy."

Sesshomaru smirked, "Are you telling me to prank my younger brother?"

Kagome happily nodded, "Yes. He needs to give one up for the cause. I know Rin already sees you as a father figure, but Shippo hasn't had the opportunity to connect with you. All he needs is to spend a little quality time with you."

"Hmmm...It seems logical. And I would like to see my half-brother in discomfort. Fine, I will go. I do hope it's amusing."

"That's the spirit! If all else fails, just remember to think of it as training for when you have to bond with your own child. I'll be waiting here for you. If I don't hear Inuyasha yell in 30 minutes, I'll come look for you."

Sesshomaru gave her a plaintive look that said, 'I'll have Inuyasha crying for his mother in five minutes,' before standing and sneakily following the kit.

O0o.o0O

Inuyasha was bored. He had walked already around the castle, raided the food table numerous times, he even walked through the garden once. Yet, he was desperately bored. He hated waiting around for a fight, especially under the care of his brother. It seemed that Kagome was truly happy with his full youkai relative and that there was nothing he could do. She was his and that was that. He heaved a sigh before deciding to take a bath like his brother had advised- he did smell like bog. He gathered his supplies and made his way to the baths down the hall.

The water was warm and heavily perfumed. It blocked out all other smells- not that he really feared a sneak attack from an enemy in his father's castle, unless you included Shippo. He was likely to try to start trouble, but he was really too weak to be considered an actual threat. He took off his clothes and tossed them to the side before getting into the pool of water. After several minutes of soaking, he reached for the shampoo bottle so that he could wash his long silver locks. He wasn't aware that merely seconds before, a young kitsune intent upon revenge had visited his bath side and planted the shampoo bottle there. Inuyasha let the soap soak into his hair very a long time to try to get the bog-smell out.

The aforementioned Kitsune ran out of the bath room trying to keep his chuckling from being audible. He had tears running down his eyes and a fist stuffed in his mouth trying to keep the sound in. He did not expect to run smack dab into Sesshomaru as soon as he left the room.

Shippo looked up in fear, believing he would be in some serious trouble. He was rather shocked, therefore, when Sesshomaru actually _smiled_ and held out a obnoxiously pink kimono that wasn't quite meant to be concealing.

"I believe you forgot to leave Inuyasha something to change into after we still his normal attire. Perhaps this will do nicely? Would you kindly and quickly run this in there? Be sure to take anything else he left in there and the towels. We don't want him to be able to get out of wearing the clothes we provided for him."

Shippo stared up in dumb awe before his impish smile returned and he did as Sesshomaru asked him to do- quick and silently. The little kitsune was finally able to get his revenge on Inuyasha for everything he had ever done to him.

O0o.o0O

"SHIPPO!!! WHERE ARE YOU? I KNOW YOU DID THIS, YOU STUPID BRAT!" yelled Inuyasha less than 30 minutes later. Shippo was currently safe beside Sesshomaru in the latter's private study. Shippo had already told Kagome everything that they had done to the half-demon, including Sesshomaru's role in having ALL of the servants happen to be having to clean the hallways from the guest baths to Inuyasha's room. They all had to endure the mentally-upsetting sight of an enraged half-demon trying to blend in with the walls as he ran by as a blur to his room to find some more clothes. The pink Kimono he could get out of, however his pink hair would still be around for a while.

The enraged hanyou was going through the castle on all fours, trying to catch the scent that would lead him to Shippo. He followed the trail all the way to Sesshomaru's private study. When he barged in, Sesshomaru looked up from his paperwork, an ink pen held suspended over it and Kagome looked up from her book.

"Inuyasha, may I remind you that while you may not have work that needs to be concentrated upon, the rest of us are not so lucky. I would appreciate it if you would use your indoor voice and please knock before entering. You could have walked in on us doing something that you would prefer to not have to see, if you understand my meaning."

Inuyasha nodded dumbly, surprised that the little kitsune wasn't in here. Then again, he could've picked up the wrong scent and followed an old trail of Shippo's. His rickety train of thought completely crashed at the sound of Kagome's hysterical laughter.

She pounding her fists upon her book in her mirth. She managed to snort out, "Inu..Inuyasha...hahaha..why is your hair...haha..pink..hahaha." She held her sides which were aching from laughing so hard.

Inuyasha shied away from the staring and retreated to his own room. He didn't leave it again until he had managed to wash out every trace of the pink.

As soon as the hanyou was gone, Shippo tumbled out from behind Sesshomaru's pant leg where he had been hiding. He was also still laughing at his exploits.

Sesshomaru cleared his throat loudly for the kitsune's attention. "Know that these pranks are not to be pulled on anyone. I will not have you sneaking behind my back to pull such a stunt on Kagome, Rin, or myself. Is that Understood?"

"Yes sir!" answered Shippo like a little army man. "Does that mean I can still prank Inuyasha?"

"Inuyasha," stated Sesshomaru deadpan, "is still fair game. You may go."

Shippo slightly bowed his head in respect for the demon before scuttling off to tell his adventures to Rin. Now Shippo had finally seen in Sesshomaru what Rin saw in him. Perhaps he had finally found a full family to belong to.

O0o.o0O

In a baneful castle, desolate of all life except evil itself and its offspring, Naraku was infusing his malignancy and corruption into a giant pot, infusing it with power from his nearly complete and starkingly black shikon jewel piece.

The fleshy substance seemed to pulsate like a heart beat. The slimy goo was becoming another offspring of the unfavorable hanyou Naraku. Dainigumo, another underling was speaking to his master.

"Master, I see not why you need more servants. I can easily kill the miko and the inu youkai. You do not need to waste your time on such creatures."

"AH, but you misunderstand my intentions. I could easily enough kill them all, but I love to see them in pain. If the information you brought me is accurate, then we have a new couple emerging among my enemies. A surprising couple, I must admit."

"Let me assure you master, it is true. The one known as Sesshomaru and the miko Kagome are mated. Just what do you have planned for them?"

"I will have them hate each other, not only in life, but I will have them despise each other in the afterlife as well, just as I had planned for Inuyasha and Kikyo over 50 years ago."

"And these creatures you are creating will help you do that?"

"Let me show you just what they are capable of."

The shikon jewel surged with power and the pot broke in two, sending the fleshy substance over the dirty floor. From the mess stood two hunched figures. They were bent, unable to stand upright and they had long gray arms and matted hair covering their featureless faces. They seemed to hang off each other as there hands felt out the area around them, making sickly grunting noises at the effort.

"These two of my offspring, my son and daughter, Katsu and Chiyo, have the power to manipulate a person senses to see and hear only the things they want the person too. The will use their gifts to turn the couple against each other and make them kill each other. Such misery that I can immerse myself in. They will make destroying the miko much fun. The foolish little girl that thought she could defeat a power such as me. They will all wish for death!"

O0o.o0O

A/N: Yep, I had to end on a dark note. You know the routine. Read it. Laugh at it. Cuss at my ending. Leave a line or two in the review box on your way out. Go on with your wondrous life. Don't worry. Be happy.


	18. Chapter 18

-1**A/N:** This is kind of the calm before the storm. I made sure to further some relationships in this chapter. After this chapter is through, I can finally get back to some action, maybe some fighting, a little bit of cursing, and have I mentioned bloodshed and death? Anyway, enjoy what you can...

**Chapter 18**

For someone who loved children, Kagome wasn't nearly as excited as one would think about having one herself. It was what she truly wanted, but the timing couldn't have been worse. They were at the climax of the fight against Naraku and now, she wouldn't even be able to fight. She couldn't go running around telling everyone, because then, not only would they worry and fuss over her, but also, Naraku could find out. Naraku used everything to his advantage and Sesshomaru could see him kidnapping Kagome just to lure him into a trap- he saw this in his nightmares every night and always woke suddenly in a cold sweat.

Kagome noticed that Sesshomaru was sleeping less and less recently. Every morning it was the same routine for her: wake up, use her senses to see if Naraku had moved overnight, find Sesshomaru already up and either looking exhausted(though he hid it quite well) or looking pale and, Kami forbid, scared, and then she would rush out of bed to find a place to dump the contents of her stomach- morning sickness had begun to plague her.

It had been three weeks since Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku had joined them at the castle. Inuyasha was growing restless. The pink dye had finally washed out of his hair and Shippo was making sure he was never left alone in the room with the angry hanyou. Rin played with both Shippo and Kohaku and slowly Kohaku also began to speak and laugh again. He still held a certain sadness in his eyes though. Sesshomaru had offered the rest of the Drink of Anomede to Rin who was happy that she didn't have to leave her Lord and father-figure in death. She was now a dark purple-haired, almost black, Inu youkai with a wild-haired tail. It seemed almost spikey. She had also taken on the leaves' attributes- her eyes were golden, brighter than Sesshomaru's, her demonic stripes were scarlet like Kagome's, and she also had a marking on her lower back of the tree of Emoceba Anomede in a silvery color that shone nicely from her skin. Shortly after Rin becoming a demon, the two children decided to choose their father, and they chose Sesshomaru.

_Begin Flashback_

Sesshomaru had been walking through the garden looking for his mate when he stumbled across two children playing tag.

"Where is Kohaku?" wondered Sesshomaru out loud.

Rin stopped their game and looked up at him, still sideways ponytailed and gap toothed, "His sister took him to train. She said it would make him feel better and make him strong enough so that whatever happened to him would never happen again. Lord Sesshomaru, what happened to Kohaku?"

Sesshomaru stood in silence, wondering how his mate would answer such a question- the truth was too gruesome for a little girl to hear. He decided to avoid the question, "I am not exactly sure, but I do know that his sister will do what's right for him. Would you two like to also train to become stronger?" The children nodded eagerly. "Then I will train you. Have you ever played the game of hide-and-seek?"

Shippo was bouncing on the balls of his pawed feet in his eagerness, "Yes, mama plays it with us all the time. How is that training?"

"It's not...when you play it with your eyes. But, if we cover your eyes, it trains your sense of smell. I will go hide, and you two try to find my scent trail and follow it to me."

The children were excited as they nodded, so Sesshomaru quickly found some strips of cloth he could use as blindfolds. He tied the cloth around their heads and said, "Now, count to 100 then come and try to find me."

The children started counted and Sesshomaru took off, making sure he got far enough away to make it a challenge. At certain points, he would jump a distance to make it more difficult or circle around a few times to spread his scent out to confuse the children. By the end of the count to 100, he was resting comfortably in the branches of a tree on the other side of the castle, a bit too comfortably, he thought as he was shortly tackled to the ground by the two childrenwho were giggling and laughing up a storm. Their blindfolds had become crooked in the fall leaving only one green eye for Shippo looking up guiltily at the taiyoukai and one gold one for Rin.

Shippo was worried. He was quite certain the demon lord would kill him for something so...ungraceful. But his worries were meaningless because Sesshomaru just got even by tickling Rin's belly and the kitsune's feet. The children couldn't get away from the onslaught- they were laughing too hard.

Finally, Sesshomaru released them and they laid there breathless. The inu youkai complimented them saying, "You two must have very good noses. I didn't expect you to find me so soon. I under estimated you. But now, I have a really hard task, one that not even I can accomplish on my own," he lied. He could very well do the task by himself, but Kagome had encouraged him to bond with the children like they were their own. He continued, "I need to find your mother, but I'm afraid she's out of my sense range. Do you think a couple of noses like yours could help me out?" More eager nods. "Good. Then blindfolds up and noses ready. Lead me to her."

The children started trotting off, their noses held up in the air to pick up Kagome's sweet scent. They found her by a pond. She had fallen asleep reading a book against a tree that was providing much needed shade from the hot afternoon sun. The gentle flow of water had a great calming effect and it was easy to see how it could've lulled the pretty miko demon to sleep. Her golden hair glittered in the light that got past the tree's leaves and branches. She looked angelic and Sesshomaru couldn't resist waking her with a kiss.

Kagome woke from the pressure of Sesshomaru's lips on hers and just in time to hear, "Ewwww!" from the children. She could feel her cheeks turning red as Sesshomaru helped her to her feet.

"I must've fallen asleep out here reading. That's a shame, I was almost to the end of my book and now I've lost the page I was on," she faked whined. She knew she could find it again later.

Shippo's nose twitched. "Mama, are you all right."

"Of course I am, Shippo. Why do you ask?"

Shippo sniffed again and again, but he couldn't find the problem. There was something wrong with his adoptive mother's scent, he just didn't know what. "Your scent. It's different somehow."

It was now Rin's turn to sniff. "I don't smell anything different."

Shippo shook his head, "No, there's something different. Maybe you should see the castle nurse."

Kagome motioned for the two to step closer as she looked around to make sure no one was listening in to their conversation. She whispered, "I'm going to tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell _anyone_ else, okay?"

"We promise mama," they both chimed, leaning in closer.

"We, Sesshomaru and me, are going to have a baby. I'm pregnant!" announced Kagome in a thrilled yet quiet voice. They were the first to hear the news because Shippo was the first to notice anything different. The others would still be unable to tell the difference- Shippo had just been living and sleeping next to Kagome for a much longer time than the rest. He knew her scent well.

Rin looked horrified, "But if you have a child, then whose children will we be?"

Kagome grabbed both Rin and Shippo into a hug, "Oh, Rin, Shippo, you will always be our children. I may not be the mother that gave you life, but I will always be there for you. Don't worry, this baby doesn't mean you're getting replaced or anything. It will be either your little brother or little sister. He or she will look up to you. Oh, children, how could you think we'd ever get rid of you?"

Rin looked up teary eyed at Sesshomaru, big golden eyes looking so sweet, he knew instantly he'd never be able to say no to whatever she was getting ready to ask for. Her lip quivered as she asked, "Does that make you our daddy?" Sesshomaru nodded. "And..can we...Rin and Shippo call you ...d..daddy?" Sesshomaru nodded again.

Shippo and Rin attached themselves to Sesshomaru's legs, he guessed they were trying to hug him, but because he was so tall, they couldn't do more than wrap their arms around his legs. After a silent but effective motion of encouragement from Kagome, he kneeled down to their level and they threw their arms around his neck.

A demon's first hug from a child later, Shippo and Rin backed up so that they could see both Kagome and Sesshomaru again. Sesshomaru had stood up to his full height again and had an arm around Kagome's waist (he said to keep her from being cold, but it was a really hot day. Kagome knew he was just protective of the new pup and her).

Shippo said, "We won't tell anybody about _it_. But mama, where do babies come from?"

Kagome gave an evil smile that filled Sesshomaru's heart with terror before she said, "I'll let your father explain that one."

She bounded over the grass and went back to the library leaving Sesshomaru standing alone with two kids looking up at him expectantly.

Sesshomaru growled almost inaudibly. He said, "I'll tell you when you're older."

_end flashback_

Ever since then, both Shippo and Rin had continued to call him 'daddy' and he grew to like the name. He also started training the children because they had showed such enthusiasm for getting stronger 'like their mommy and daddy' they said. They had become a true family, and nothing could hope to break them apart, but Sesshomaru knew Naraku would try if he found out. Therefore, Kagome was quite surprised when a bead rosary landing in her lap as she woke from a nap one day.

"What is this?" she asked holding it up.

"A rosary," he answered simply.

"I can see that," retorted Kagome, her temper growing short, "but I want to know what it is for. Or perhaps you just wanted me to make you some subjugation beads and have you hit the ground each time I say 'bad boy?'"

"No!" responded Sesshomaru quickly. Just as quickly, he recovered his composure and explained, "I want you to place a concealing spell on them to make the wearer look human. Naraku hasn't seen your demon form and I don't want him to. If he sees a human that has been able to turn into a demon, he would likely kidnap you and torture the secrets out of you so that he could use the same method on himself to become a full demon. I will not take that risk, mate." Kagome nodded and began placing the spell on them. She placed the beads around her neck and saw her tail and claws go away. Stepping in front of a mirror, she saw herself, exactly as how she had been before the Drink of Anomede. It seemed weird to her that the person standing before the mirror looked like a new acquaintance, not like a person she knew very well. She had already gotten used to her demon form so much that her human form looked like a stranger.

Sesshomaru nuzzled her neck and licked her now humanoid ears. He whispered, "You are still beautiful. Don't take the necklace off until the threat has passed."

Kagome's mood lightened, "Hmmm...keep holding me like this and I don't think we'll make it out of this room before the threat passes."

"The children are training with one of the servants at the moment. I wouldn't want to waste the opportunity." And so they enjoyed each other for the rest of the night. Kagome woke with the first light of day with morning sickness, and soon discovered something that would interest the whole castle.

She looked at her mate, her eyes wide in anticipation, "He's waiting for us."

"Naraku has finally decided to stop running and face us?" checked Sesshomaru. Kagome nodded. "Wake your friends. We'll set off at once."

O0o.o0O

Sango was having trouble sleeping. She tossed and turned for hours before she finally pulled herself from bed and walked out in the crisp morning air to the garden to watch the sun rise and hope that it would calm her restless mind. She was ready to see the end of this thing, to destroy Naraku, and finally be able to settle down and live a normal life. The first tendrils of light spread over the horizon and she sighed with the burden on her mind.

A rose popped up in her face, being held by Miroku who also looked troubled. She took the red flower from him and breathed in its sweet scent.

"A lot on your mind?" he asked as he sat down next to her, his lecherous hands for once staying to himself.

Sango nodded, "I am ready for this thing to end and this waiting around is making me nervous. I'm not sure what I'll be able to contribute to this battle. I'm only a human with no special gifts, no purification powers, and no cursed hands."

Miroku held up his hand and studied it. "This hand...it's only brought me fear, fear that it will end my life before I have a chance to defeat Naraku and have a real relationship with someone. You don't need any special powers, Sango. You put your heart into your fighting. You're strong and you will contribute just as much as the rest of us."

"You really think so, Miroku?" questioned the demon slayer.

"Absolutely. Once Naraku stops hiding, we will defeat him."

"And after that?" she probed, "What will we do after that? We've been traveling for so long, I don't know where I could call home anymore."

Miroku took her hand in his. "Sango, in case you thought I wasn't being serious before, I'll make my point clear now. I will not ask you to bear my children, this time though. I will ask you to share my life. I know I'm not perfect, but I'll change for you. You will be the only one to ever hear me ask this: Will you marry me, Sango?"

A tear fell down Sango's cheek. Miroku was scared. He didn't know what that tear meant. Was it good or bad? Sango answered his unasked question though. She grabbed his lips with her own for a beautiful first kiss.

"Of course I'll marry you, hentai. Just no more womanizing," she ordered through the tears.

Miroku's heart seemed to freeze in his chest. That was a lot to ask of him, but if he was ever going to keep the only woman he has ever seriously given thought to having a future with, he was going to have to stop his lecherous ways.

"You're more than enough woman to satisfy this man, Sango. I pledge to have eyes for you and only you." He captured her lips for a second kiss and pulled her into his arms. They only pulled apart when they heard Kagome's excited voice.

She came barreling in exclaiming, "It's time! It's time. Get ready to travel! Naraku's castle has finally stopped moving. Two days journey to the Northeast! Let's get cracking!"

And with that she took off again to find Inuyasha and tell him the news leaving a red-cheeked Sango still in the arms of a glowing Miroku. Neither one had noticed that Kagome looked like her old human self again. "So it's finally time," he echoed Kagome's words when he recovered from the shock of having been caught holding Sango. He looked into Sango's still teary eyes, "I'll protect your back and you protect mine. We will survive and I will be able to keep my promise to you."

"Yes, but I don't know how needed we will be. Kagome's more than a match for Naraku now. There's no way we won't win," expressed Sango, finally untangling herself from Miroku's warm embrace and beginning to walk to the castle.

"True. I would hate to ever be on Kagome's bad side. Let us go prepare then," finished Miroku, a slight shiver running up his back as he imagined Kagome's rage.

O0o.o0O

Back in a vile castle filled with hate and spite, Naraku watched the group leave the safety of Inutaisho's castle. He saw the hanyou Inuyasha, followed by the monk and the demon slayer, then his newest targets, Sesshomaru and Kagome. Sesshomaru was walking protectively close to the human with his demonic mark on her forehead which meant Dainigumo had reported the facts back to him accurately.

'Good," thought Naraku, a maniacal smirk coming to his features, 'this new couple will provide quite the entertainment. I will destroy them both but only after I break both of their hearts.'

"Dainigumo," he snapped out. The combined priest and human came forward out of the shadows. Naraku looked at him out of the sides of his eyes, "Take my newest creations and introduce them to Sesshomaru and Kagome. They share my sense of pleasure at inflicting mental pain."

"As you wish, master," bowed Dainigumo, obediently leading Katsu and Chiyo, the featureless hunched gray figures with the power to manipulate a person's senses and having none of their own, to a clearing that would intercept the traveling group's path.

O0o.o0O

"It's a shame you didn't summon Kouga as well, Lady Kagome," said Miroku as they made their way along the path towards Naraku's castle.

"And why is that?" inquired Kagome, her brow raised in her confusion.

"Because he has many wolf allies that would have assisted in our fighting," replied the monk.

"That wimpy wolf?" voiced Inuyasha, "They would only be in our way. They're not strong enough."

"I, for the first time in my life, agree with Inuyasha. They would only slow us down. And if that wolf values his life, he would do well to stay away from my mate," spoke Sesshomaru, the threat evident in his voice.

"I didn't summon them because I had no need to," said Kagome, wrapping an arm around Sesshomaru to show that she was his and only his to calm his youkai pride. She continued to explain, "Kouga will be there anyway. Naraku desires the jewel shards and Kouga has two of them. Naraku will attract Kouga's attention and the wolf tribe will be there behind their leader."

"I never thought about that," mused Sango out loud. She was happy Sesshomaru had made the decision for her and ordered her little brother to stay at the castle to 'protect Rin and Shippo.' She would hate to deny the boy's right of revenge herself.

The group passed into silence for a while. Conversation was little for they were all thinking of the upcoming battle.

"We will stop here for the night," Sesshomaru interrupted them from their thoughts. "We need to conserve our energy if we are to defeat everything he will try to throw at us."

They all began making camp. No one noticed the gray shadows that stood just outside the circle of light from their campfire. The two figures breathed heavily as they waited for an opportunity to use their powers. Dainigumo sat in the branches above them acting as their eyes for they had none themselves on their gray, featureless faces covered in lank and knotted hair.

O0o.end chapter.o0O

**A/N**: da dum dummmm. Now the battle between good and evil is about to begin. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. With the climax of this story getting so close, along with the subsequent ending, I begun to brainstorm for a sequel. Should I even bother continuing the story? Tell me if you think so,

Tiki Rane Gobell


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **Ya'll are gonna kill me when I tell ya that this chapter has been sittin' around for a whole week. I've had so much HW I didn't have the time to type it up till tuesday and then, after all that rushing to get everything done, my Mom stole my flash drive for her college work so I had no way to get this chapter from my computer to the computer in the house that had an internet connection. Well, that's about enough of the excuses. I was just doing a mental check list and there really aren't that many chapters left. I'll try to get the story finished by the New Year. Anyway, have you noticed? 200 reviews! Yay!!!!! I'm very, very happy. I didn't think anyone would continue to read this story over such a long period of time. You'sums be'a 'prisin' me. Well, that's how we talk round here, so you best be glad I don't use talkin' grammer in my sit'n'ses. Enough randomness for one day and downward and onward!

**Chapter 19**

The group was making camp their first night away from Inutaisho's castle on their hunt for Naraku. Miroku and Sango were out collected wood to make a fire with so that they could cook supper, Inuyasha was out trying to get some fish from a nearby stream, and Kagome and Sesshomaru were left in the clearing alone. Or so they thought.

Sesshomaru sat down at the base of a tree while Kagome bustled about trying to get everything ready to cook supper.

"We need water," muttered Kagome to herself before using her demonic hearing (though her demonic traits were concealed with a necklace so that Naraku would not find out about her newer and greater powers) to catch the sound of a creek flowing right through the trees of the woods they were in. "Sesshomaru, I'll be back in a few," she said as she collected containers to fill with water.

The demon lord nodded. He knew he was close enough to prevent anything bad from happening to her. Of course, he didn't know about Naraku's newest incarnations waiting for their chance to catch each one on their own. The gray featureless creatures were well hidden by Dainigumo's power- neither aura, nor scent of the two could be found and Dainigumo was similarly hidden in a place where he could see both creatures slowly and silently stalking their prey. The gray creatures were curious creatures- like zombies in their movements, but without all the brain-eating. Instead, they were brain manipulators who could trap a person in their own head and make that person believe that they were seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling the real thing as long as the person was in range for them to cast their spells.

Kagome made her way through some thick underbrush, being careful not to get stuck on the thorns. After an eternity it seemed of weaving through patches of brambles, she finally found the creek she had heard. She still had the canteens from her time that needed filling, and a large pot for cooking. She had finished filling everything and was now wondering how she would get it all back to camp without spilling it. It was at this time that she began hearing the crunching noise of dead leaves- someone was walking through the forest. 'It could mean danger,' she thought as she tensed, ready for action.

The crunching sound kept getting nearer, but she couldn't find its source- it had no scent, no aura, nothing. She couldn't really understand why she was so scared, she was strong wasn't she? Was it because Sesshomaru wasn't with her? Was she so dependent on his protection that she didn't know what to defend herself? She didn't have time to think about it because the bush nearest to her had started to shake- something was coming! She jumped back from the bush and raised a filled canteen threateningly wishing that she had brought her bow, but alas, that was back at the camp they had made.

The bush's shaking finally stopped and Sesshomaru stepped out of it. Kagome's shoulders slumped as she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Kami Sesshomaru, you scared me sneaking around like that with your aura hidden and then popping out like that."

"I was merely walking, not sneaking," he answered coolly.

"Well, it scared me. I thought you were staying back at camp? Oh well. it doesn't really matter, I was getting ready to call for you anyway. Can you carry the cooking pot back for me? I'll probably just end up spilling it if I try," said Kagome, her shock and fear subsiding as she pulled all the canteens into her arms from off the ground. Sesshomaru just stood there, unanswering, unmoving, and unblinkingly staring at Kagome.

Kagome shrugged it off and began trudging back to their camp. A clawed hand stopped her, digging into her wrist and making her drop all the canteens.

She looked up into Sesshomaru's golden eyes with fear in her silver ones. "Sesshomaru?" she whispered desperately. His grip tightened even more, drawing blood that trickled down to her elbow.

With tears in her eyes she cried, "Sesshomaru, stop! You're hurting me. Why are you doing this?"

His lip curled, revealing a sharp white fang. He growled, "Worthless human. Did you honestly think I cared for you? Do you think you could ever mean anything to me?"

Kagome collapsed to her knees as Sesshomaru finally released her from his claws. She stared at the ground not making a sound, her bangs covering her eyes.

If anyone else had approached that clearing, they would only see Kagome standing there where she had just turned around and heard the crunching sound, a blank expression on her face and open yet unseeing eyes. For it was then when she entered Naraku's incarnation's spell. To Kagome, everything seemed real- looked, felt, smelled, even tasted if she dared to try, but it was not truly real. It was a fake reality, the power of Naraku's gray incarnation to force into a person's mind and manipulate their senses as they pleased.

Puncture marks appeared on Kagome's wrist- the brain read her pain from the false reality and made it real. The culprit, the gray incarnation, stayed safely hidden in the thick underbrush, casting its power over Kagome and trying to break her will, to break her heart.

Kagome was trapped inside her mind. The false Sesshomaru continued to narrate his bitterness toward Kagome. "You know what you are?" he asked her, not waiting for a response, "You're a tool to be used a then tossed aside. I used you for my pleasure, but now, your usefulness has expired." He gave a cold chuckled, one that would fill anyone's heart with terror. The fake Sesshomaru continued, "How ironic that your entire life has been spent as a tool. With Inuyasha, you were just a jewel-detector, a mere shadow of a woman he used to love, a shadow he could never see as a different person. You were just a cheap imitation. And now, look at you, you're a weak insignificant human, not even worthy of my attention. Pathetic." Scorn and hatred were evident in his voice.

Kagome still stared at the ground. Naraku's incarnation was peering into her very mind, trying to see how she was reacting. Had it pushed her far enough yet? Had it broken her spirit yet? When she finally looked up at him, her expression startled him. She had a smile on her face, as if she had an ace hidden up her sleeve and as if she was about to win.

Her voice started as a chuckle before turning into a full-blown laugh. The gray incarnation was baffled. Everything was perfect, every spell he had cast was doing its job, she couldn't tell that she was in a fake reality and there could be no way that she could know that the Sesshomaru before her was also a fake. Was this miko insane?

Kagome's laughter died down to be replaced with a fierce determination. A frightening fire burned in her eyes as she looked upon the unreal Sesshomaru. "I may not be the brightest star in the sky, Naraku, but I know this is not my mate. Do not misjudge me so easily to be taken by a trick like this! I know that this is your doing and I will not fall for it. You've tried this trick before- on Kikyo and Inuyasha- and let me inform you that I am no cheap imitation! I am Kagome, Ka-go-me! Not some shadow of a dead woman! I have my own thoughts, my own feelings, my own beliefs, and my own heart that cannot be tricked by the body and voice of my mate. Inuyasha and Kikyo never had what Sesshomaru and I have- complete love and trust. Your tricks will not work on us and you can never break us apart. Our relationship will last, despite your futile meddling. Leave us alone!"

With Kagome's words, her determination increased, putting pressure on the gray incarnation's invading presence. Her realization of the truth countered the dark spells that captured her mind and tore them apart. With her flare of anger at Naraku, the gray incarnation's spells broke apart completely, and the false reality was shattered.

Kagome fell to the ground as she was released and she came to herself. She cast her senses, demonic and miko, over the area trying to find whatever had ensnared her mind. Finding nothing, she rushed back to find Sesshomaru, heedless of the thorns and bristles that littered the forest floor. She was sure that whatever had attacked her mind would've also attacked Sesshomaru.

O0o.o0O

The taiyoukai of the Western Lands watched Kagome go to fetch water. Something didn't feel right, though all of his demonic senses told him everything was fine. He was about to get up and follow Kagome, just in case, when she stumbled back into the clearing, her aura hidden.

"Weren't you going to get water?" he asked her with a quizzical brow. He noticed the absence of the water containers she had left with. She shrugged noncommittally. By now, Sesshomaru was suspicious. Kagome was weird, to say the least, yet this was weird to a new level for her. He had an eerie prickling at the back of his neck- his hairs were standing on end.

He couldn't sense it, but the other gray incarnation of Naraku was hiding behind the other side of the tree he was sitting against. It too was manipulating Sesshomaru's senses, weaving lies into a fake mental dimension.

"Kagome?" he asked, trying to find out the problem. She looked angry, and an angry Kagome was not a person he wanted to mess with. Perhaps she had found out about his scheme of keeping her out of the fighting by purposely getting her pregnant, he thought. If she had, he should guard his posterior vigilantly or she _would_ purify it.

"Is something wrong?" he ventured, not going to give anything away unless she already knew it.

"You! You demon filth. Despicable, unrespectable, evil youkai of a damned bitch! Did you think that I could trust you? That I would love you? Despicable," she spurted off, rage in her voice and fire in her eyes. Sesshomaru was taken aback. How could this be his mate? Her words hurt- she was the first one he had ever trusted with his heart, and now this? She spat the word 'demon' like it was a curse word. Had she forgotten that she too was a demon, (though concealed presently by the beaded necklace so that Naraku would be a step behind them) and that she had chosen to become a demon so that the two of them could be together forever? Kagome's harsh words continued, "Miserable piece of existence. I should rid this world of you." The false Kagome pulled an arrow to the string of her bow. Somewhere in Sesshomaru's subconscious, he registered this as impossible, because Kagome hadn't taken her bow with her when she left. Yet that thought was quickly pushed to the side and his mate aimed her purification arrow at his heart.

Sesshomaru's body tensed. This is how his brother was pinned to a tree for 50 years. His pleading orbs looked up at the attacking miko as he asked, "But why? Why this? I thought we had something."

"You loathsome creature. You were just a fall-back guy- you look frighteningly similar to Inuyasha, have you noticed? Consider yourself his cheap replacement for when I couldn't have him. But now, I tire of you and anything I might have wanted from you- like the title of the Lady of the Western Lands- is already mine. Once I kill you, it will all be mine. Imagine: the western lands under the control of a human. That is how it was meant to be."

Sesshomaru considered his options. Either Kagome had gone insane, she was telling him the truth, or this was not Kagome. The former two couldn't be true. She had never shown any sign of being insane and she was defiantly not ambitious enough to want to rule an empire. The third option must've been it- this wasn't Kagome. Even as that thought passed through his mind, evidence upon evidence jumped to that conclusion. She talked as if she wasn't a demon, something his enemies wouldn't know. She spoke as if they were just bed partners, not two true mates that were expecting their first child; nobody except Kagome, himself, and the kids knew about that. Naraku had tricked his half-brother and Kikyo this way hadn't he? Was he so stupid as to think it would work on this Sesshomaru?

His anger and pride flared as he finally responded, "Fool! Do not take me as dimwitted as my half-brother. I know my mate when I see her and this is not her. You are cowardly to hide behind her appearance, Naraku. This will not work. A face does not make my mate and I will not be fooled by you! You will never be able to imitate half of her worth! We will be forever while you will be destroyed as soon as we reach you. Naraku, end this now!"

His mind forced the invading presence out and he regained consciousness. He was insulted that Naraku thought he would be deceived by something the hanyou had played before. This Sesshomaru is more intelligent than that! Sesshomaru took off in the direction he saw Kagome take off in. He would not allow his senses to deceive him again. He barely got two steps into the surrounding trees before a frantic Kagome barreled into him, knocking them both to the ground. Sesshomaru quickly twisted his body so that he was the one taking the impact of the ground.

Kagome, on top of him, looked him in the face, forest in relief, but then it turned to suspicion. "Sesshomaru?"

"Hai," he nodded, still suspicious himself.

"How do I know it's the real you?" asked Kagome, searching his eyes for something unfamiliar.

"Ask me a question," offered Sesshomaru.

"Umm...okay...Who guards the Tree of Emoceba Anomede?"

Sesshomaru's lip curled in remembrance of the guardian who gave him so much trouble as he answered, "Sasarg."

"It is you! Oh, ask me a question then."

"Not necessary," said Sesshomaru.

"But then how will you know if I'm me?" protested Kagome.

Sesshomaru inwardly sighed. He could never figure out how this girl on top of him could quickly switch from being a near-genius to a ditz and then back again all in one conversation. "Mate," he whispered, "if you weren't my Kagome, how would you know about the tree of Emoceba Anomede?"

Kagome mentally smacked herself for her stupidity. Over and over again. She was stopped by Sesshomaru who kissed her passionately, which she deepened until they both had to part for breathe. Sesshomaru whispered breathlessly, "We should find who's responsible for this."

"But I can't sense anyone. They must be protected by a really strong barrier or something," voiced Kagome.

The two fell into silence thinking. Kagome's mind raced. 'There has to be something we've overlooked- a different way of handling this, something no one has thought of before. There has to be something we've missed: _missed!_

"I got it Sesshomaru!" she exclaimed joyfully, making her voice pitch to the point that it hurt her own ears. Sesshomaru winced, but patiently waited for her to continue. "We _missed_ it!"

Sesshomaru's eyebrow arched in confusion. "What have we missed, mate?"

"_Exactly_!" squealed Kagome, "We've been looking for a presence or a smell or something to lead us to the culprit! We need to be looking for an absence of all these things! If the barrier is preventing us from finding their traces, then we just have to find where there are no traces of anything and then we've found them, barriers or not. Do you get it?"

Sesshomaru silently contemplated it. It surprisingly made sense. If they find a place, a space in the air, where there is no smell of anything, no aura of anything, nothing at all, then they would find the person who tried to trick them. The barrier that protected them would cover all these things up so it would become an unnatural hole in the air.

He looked at Kagome (who was doing a victory dance at her epiphany) and said, "It seems logical enough. We might as well give it a try."

The two stood back-to-back, Sesshomaru silently wondered at how well they had begun to work together. Words hardly needed to be said anymore for they each knew what the other needed or was thinking. It was even almost scary for a taiyoukai prided upon being mysterious. Both of them expanded their demonic senses through the woods searching for the 'hole in space.' It sounded overly-science fiction to Kagome and she suppressed a giggle over the impossibility of this actually working. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'maybe I can write a book about this later.'

It is important to realize that everything living has an aura- from the plants to animals, bacteria, fungi, the insects in the ground, and humans themselves. The most latter of these living things is the easiest to sense and therefore the sense that is often most used. But the other things put off an energy signature of their own, it just takes a lot of concentration to be able to find it. Smells are similar in that matter. Everything has a scent and to keep from becoming overloaded in sensory information, humans block most of this smell out. But now, Kagome and Sesshomaru were deliberately bringing these unused senses to the forefront to help find this hole.

After a quiet few minutes, Sesshomaru seemed to vanish from behind Kagome only to reappear with two gray figures in his claws in front of her. He threw them to the ground and Kagome caught sight of one of their backs- the spider-like scar shone there in a dull pink against the gray, dirty skin. There was no doubt in either Kagome's nor Sesshomaru's minds that this was Naraku's doing.

Sesshomaru pressed his foot on one of their necks, causing a gurgling hiss to erupt from the gray figure's mouth. His weak gray hands clawed at the dirt floor of the forest trying to get air. Kagome turned her head away- she couldn't bear to watch the suffering of others, even if those others deserved it. She tried to bring peace to herself by reasoning that this was the only way to get answers, answers that could save someone who deserved to live's life.

"What else does Naraku have planned?" the taiyoukai growled. He would not be caught unaware again, he promised himself. This time they were lucky that Naraku didn't know everything about them and their relationship. Next time, however, they might not be so lucky.

The gray figure only gurgled some more but nothing coherent came from his mouth. It didn't look like it was capable of speech, or maybe, thought Sesshomaru, it just didn't have enough motivation to speak yet.

He visibly flexed his claws and, whether by intent or just coincidence, the waning sun caught them and they flashed dangerously in the light. "Speak," commanded Sesshomaru, promise in his voice, "or I will tear you slowly limb from limb and piece by piece until you give me the answers I seek."

The gray figures redoubled their efforts at crawling away from the fierce demon lord only to find that they still couldn't escape- all of their strength laid within their minds and their spells. They had little else, physical strength included. Sesshomaru's poison whip snapped around their ankles securing them into their positions and burning into their flesh. Their nearly sightless eyes and their featureless faces, like mannequins with nothing defined except for tiny flat eyes and a lipless mouth, contracted with fear. Sesshomaru tightened his poison whip more and one of the creatures finally let out a screech.

It was a bloodcurdling screech, that seemed to gurgle in the back of his throat. It sent a shiver down Kagome's spine. The screeched turned into a rasp hissing voice, evilly spitting, "Our master will -..."

He was cut off by an arrow in his throat which quickly disintegrated the rest of his body- a purification arrow. Sesshomaru swiveled to Kagome expecting to see a bow held ready after the release, but he found that she didn't even have her bow with her.

The other gray creature used Sesshomaru's lack of concentration to work his way out of the now slackened whip and to try to scramble into the cover of the trees. He nearly made it before a hissing arrow struck it in the back and it was purified into oblivion with a painful shriek.

'A third incarnation,' thought Sesshomaru as he spun around trying to find the culprit. He then remembered Dainigumo, an underling of Naraku with priest's powers. He searched the woods, but the mixed creation was gone. Sesshomaru gave a final warning growl and brought his flaring youkai back into control- his eyes had been staring to turn red in his anger. Losing himself would not help him in this situation, he reprimanded himself.

"We'll have to be careful. Our every move is likely being watched carefully for a chance to deceive or destroy us," he told Kagome as he began walking back to the camp they had made earlier that evening. Kagome didn't move to follow, so Sesshomaru took her into his arms.

"Kagome," he whispered into her ear as he nuzzled her neck with his nose, sending a chill through the miko, "what is wrong?"

She leaned into his touch but didn't answer for a while. Sesshomaru patiently waited. She answered after a few minutes of silence, "We could've ended up like Kikyo and Inuyasha. We could've turned against each other. I could've attacked you or you attacked me."

"But we didn't. We have something more than Kikyo or Inuyasha ever did. You are not Kikyo's cheap imitation and I am not my half-brother. We will not be deceived so easily."

"But the only way we saw this one was because Naraku didn't know everything about us."

"Do you think that was the only reason?" questioned Sesshomaru, drawing back from Kagome to look into her eyes.

She searched his golden orbs for the merest of a second then shook her head. She knew it was a rhetorical question, but she answered it anyway, "No. You're right. I trust you, more than anything or anyone. I would've been able to tell it wasn't you."

"KAGOME! SESSHOMARU! WHERE ARE YOU?" came Inuyasha's hollering voice interrupting their romantic moment and completely ruining the mood. Kagome and Sesshomaru pulled apart and made their way back to camp where everyone else had already returned from their chores.

"Sneaking off to make out in the woods, you two?" teased Inuyasha. Neither Kagome nor Sesshomaru answered leaving a dumbstruck Inuyasha fumbling for something to say, "I was only joking...you...two...weren't really...?"

Sesshomaru sent him a cold glare and paused for effect. The hanyou nearly passed out in anticipation. Inuyasha would tolerate Sesshomaru with the woman he loved, by golly, he may not like it, but he would tolerate it. However, asking him to tolerate them displaying their affections in front of him was out of the picture. There was no way he'd let them do that. It was bad enough smelling what they had been up to on their clothes at the castle, much less seeing it too.

Sesshomaru finally spoke, "Relax Baka. Kagome and I were attacked by Naraku's newest incarnations, ones that we couldn't sense because they had a type of holy protective barrier concealing their smell and aura's. They were trying to deceive Kagome and myself, much like Naraku did to you long ago, Inuyasha. We will need to be on alert from now on. Naraku is getting sneakier."

The group of friends look around warily as if suspecting Naraku to pop out from behind a bush. When the evil hanyou failed to make an appearance, they gradually loosened up and began getting supper ready. They were ready to end this thing and get on with their lives.

O0o.o0O

The samiyoshu hummed in the air, one alighted on Dainigumo's outstretched hand. He had fled upon seeing the Miko work out how to find someone in his barrier. The underling still had no orders to kill the taiyoukai and the Miko from Naraku- Naraku seemed to especially want to do that himself. Maybe it was because they had found something that Naraku had wanted as a human. The nearly full-demon still seemed to have retained part of his human heart, or perhaps it was his human emotions, from where he had tried to expel it all into creating Dainigumo himself. 'Naraku is jealous,' thought Dainigumo with little pleasure in his mind. After all, Dainigumo had been human and had been Naraku. He felt the same yearning and the same loathing. The samiyoshu relayed Naraku's order to come back to the castle- there was nothing more for the underling to do. Kagome and Sesshomaru could see past all of his barriers, or at least had some trick to find people he presumed protected. Naraku, for once, had to retreat to lick his wounds and play the waiting game for Kagome and Sesshomaru to come right to his doorstep. Trap or not, they would show up, and one way or the other, Naraku would kill the taiyoukai, but overall, he would destroy the miko that liked to meddle in his plans and dared looked like his past lust interest. Yes, Naraku would play the waiting game, for Naraku _never_ lost the waiting game. All his evil would come in good time.

**A/N:** Sooooo... what'd ya think? If you could, drop a line or two in the review box on your way out. Critique, flames, or encouragement. It's nice to hear from the readers.

Cornily saying, "Beam me up, Scottie,"

Tiki Rane Gobell


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Dawn broke crisp and bright. A sunny, cloudless blue sky looked down upon a group of travelers whom nature's cheerfulness was wasted. They were deep in thought of the coming battle- the last battle. Naraku's time at large was at an end. His spite and his malice needed to be taken out of this world. Sesshomaru, Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku silently prepared to set out for another day of walking, one final day of wait before everything was brought to a conclusion. The bright and carefree weather mocked their heavy hearts. They set off on their way.

O0o.o0O

"Ku..ku..ku.." Naraku's evil laughter filled the castle. Dainigumo took a step backwards. Laughter was the last thing the half-Onigumo, half priest Daisuke expected to hear from Naraku after his newest creations had been easily defeated by a Miko and a Taiyoukai. Dainigumo had been forced to kill the pair of gray creatures to prevent them from betraying their master. If Dainigumo's attempt at an opponent's life had been so easily put down, he would not be laughing, brooding maybe, but not laughing like the evil creature in front of him.

"Kukuku. They've become a strong team- enemies worth matching my wits against. I will meet them very soon in battle. Dainigumo, have you ensured the wolves will show up?" Naraku peered out of the side of his eyes at his underling.

"Yes, master," answered Dainigumo, a cold chill running up his back from even the indirect red gaze of the not-quite-man, not-quite-demon before him. Dainigumo continued, "I have sent them word that Kagura would be here. They had not yet learned of her death."

"That woman serves me more in death than she ever did in life," laughed Naraku. "But I'm curious, how did you convince them to come? They would have expected a trap."

"I pretended to be a weary priest when Kouga passed by. I told him I sensed a dark and powerful aura from this castle and had heard rumors of one called Naraku was terrorizing the local villages. He naturally jumped to the conclusion that Kagura would be where ever you were. He ran off to gather his companions, or at least that's what I think he shouted as he ran to the North." Dainigumo gave his narrative in a flat tone. The facts were all Naraku wanted to know so that's all the underling gave him.

Naraku's smile was one of dark twisted mirth. He played with the nearly completed Shikon no Tama on his fingertips. "One final round to play of this game. I tire of the players," he mused aloud.

"Who else do you desire to fight against, master?"

"I have defeated the woman I could not touch before. I'm about to finish off the hanyou that stole Kikyo from me. Sesshomaru and the human Miko must be destroyed because they are meddling. Others want revenge on me, so they will die also. All of this shall be dealt with shortly. It's the same old game. I need a new challenge. Something I have to learn. Something that will keep me moderately occupied. Rumors have come of a new land across the seas. The humans don' t even know of it yet, but some demons have seen it. They say it is unlike anything they have seen before. Perhaps I will conquer it when I'm done here."

"Of course, master," bowed Dainigumo once more, sensing the end of the conversation.

Naraku thought of his next goal in silence- the new land he would conquer, the enemies he would face, the thrill of the scheming. He stared out blankly into space, but suddenly snapped back to he present. He pressed the Shikon jewel tightly within his palm. "Come now, Dainigumo. We must prepare for our guests. I think we shall start tonight's entertainment by killing one lover in front of the other. Then, we'll finish the night with a general bloodshed. You're allowed to kill anyone you wish except Inuyasha and the Miko. I want to personally take care of them. Lower the barrier to draw our enemies to us, like a moth to the flame. Then we shall burn them till there's nothing left."

"As you say, master. I will get everything prepared."

O0o.o0O

Inuyasha could never be described as a gracious loser- he sulked, he snapped at people in his short temper, and he withdrew into himself and his thoughts. He had to endure seeing his pompous-ass-of-a-half-brother and his Kagome sneak glances at each other, stand much too close together for his liking, and look with 'love struck goo-goo eyes' at each other, as he called it. It was sickening to him. The girl that he loved, but never understood what she meant to him until it was too late. She fell out of love with him and instead fell head-over-heels with his brother. Now, Inuyasha was left to learn how to love her like a sister, nothing more.

Perhaps he was overreacting, he thought to himself. Sango and Miroku didn't seem to mind, but then again, they were caught up in the same actions as the other couple. Inuyasha silently wondered if he had been drunk anytime recently, for he had to be drunk to completely miss the sudden transformation that seemed to come over Miroku and Sango. They still bickered, they still hollered, but there was something deeper there. Inuyasha felt as if he was missing out. The others had all found someone to spend their lives with, but he had only lost both of the women he had ever loved- one to death and the other to Sesshomaru.

It was mid-day. They ate as they walked to save time so that they could reach Naraku's castle before evening set in. Just an hour before, Naraku seemed to stop hiding and his barrier dropped from around his castle, the evil foe's scent permeating the surrounding trees and allowing the dog demons to easily pin point his position. They were not far.

They stopped for a break just out of sight of Naraku's castle to regain their strength for battle. They could all sense the strong demonic aura overpowering everything else in the area. Inuyasha was nervously stroking the hilt of tetsusaiga when he caught sight of Sesshomaru and Kagome having an argument. Kagome's fiery temper was obvious- even the plants seemed to try to seek shelter from her. But Sesshomaru stood his ground, stoically enduring her storm, Inuyasha tried to listen in- he had never before seen Kagome look so angry, but as much as the hanyou strained his ears, no sound could be heard from the obviously yelling Kagome. 'She must've put up a sound barrier," he guessed.

Inuyasha watched out of the corner of his eye as Kagome paced around Sesshomaru, throwing her hands out from time to time to further a point. Her cheeks became red with her effort and she finally tired. Sesshomaru pulled her into his arms and they just stayed like that for some time.

Bored, Inuyasha turned his head so he didn't have to watch them being all close and all. He found himself wondering what the new couple could be arguing about. Knowing Sesshomaru and his male-dominated views, it was probably over Kagome fighting against Naraku. Sesshomaru would want to keep her safe and out of harm while Kagome would stubbornly refuse to do any such thing. Inuyasha knew that was one argument Kagome would win, having tried to keep her away from battle so many times and failed. Whether you barred her from it or not, she would always show up to protect her friends.

Inuyasha was more than surprised, therefore, when Sesshomaru and Kagome returned to the rest of the group who were preparing to continue onward, and Sesshomaru announced that Kagome would be staying behind.

"WHAT!?!" came Inuyasha's outburst. "We need her to fight, especially now that she's a miko and a demon." He had been hoping that Kagome would speak up and support his claim, but she stayed silent staring at the ground. She wouldn't even look him in the eye.

Inuyasha naturally assumed (because nobody had ever taught him that to assume makes an ass out of u and me ass-u-me) that Sesshomaru must have threatened her or deeply scared her into staying behind. Inuyasha's anger flared. "BASTARD!" he shouted at his taiyoukai half brother.

Kagome visibly flinched and looked up at his outburst. She looked sad, maybe anxious, but not scared like the half-demon thought she would be.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru addressed him coolly, "If you want to continue shouting obscenities at me, then perhaps we should take this somewhere the other's will not be plagued by your stupidity.

Inuyasha 'fehed' before jumping off into the trees. They heard him say, "Maybe we should leave. I do have a few more 'obscenities' to shout at you, asshole."

They retreated away from the group with the speed granted them by their demonic blood. Once out of Kagome's hearing range, Inuyasha turned to Sesshomaru.

"You're an asshole, you know that?" repeated Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru stared at him levelly. "I do not recall an occurrence to provoke this wrath from you, but I will humor you. Why am I an 'asshole?'"

"You and your stupid male pride! We _need_ Kagome to fight with us. Maybe you haven't noticed, but Naraku has specifically pin-pointed her out and has tried to kill her. It's because he knows she has the power to defeat him and he only know about half of her power. He doesn't even know that she's a demon now. She's the only one among us who has ever hurt Naraku enough to seriously make him fear for his life, not just strategically retreat, but flee for his _life_. She wants to fight him! She _needs _ to be there with us so she can do everything she can to help us. If you keep her from fighting and even one of us doesn't come back alive, you'll break her spirit-the fiery spirit you fell in love with," sprouted off Inuyasha, the things coming easier to his lips then he thought possible. He knew Kagome so well, yet had never realized it until it was too late for him.

Sesshomaru seemed unfazed by Inuyasha's words. "I fear you have misunderstood the situation, Inuyasha. Kagome has chosen to stay behind, I did not force her."

"BULLSHIT!" spat Inuyasha, visible specks of spittle showering Sesshomaru. "I know Kagome and she would never choose to send someone else to do what she is capable of herself. The jewel is her responsibility and she will want to be there till its end."

"The situation has changed for her," countered Sesshomaru, an edge to his voice.

"Oh? Has it?" mockingly asked Inuyasha, straightening his back to stand taller to try to intimidate his brother. "What could stop Kagome from trying to protect her friends?"

_There!_ thought Inuyasha, _I know you have something to do with this, Sesshomaru. Did you threaten her?_

"She has found something that needs her protection more than her friends. Something that is both hers and mine. Ours." Sesshomaru smiled at the memory of Kagome finding out she was pregnant. Her soft voice echoing, '_ours?'_

"Stop speaking in riddles Sesshomaru," he yelled, " Yours and hers? What's that supposed to mean. It sounds like your talking about something you've created." Inuyasha suddenly froze. Theirs? It couldn't be possible, he thought. "...a...ba... baby...Kagome's pregnant?" he whispered unbelievingly.

Sesshomaru nodded then gave a cruel smile. "Do I need to explain exactly how it was created?"

Inuyasha panicked and backed up a step, furiously shaking his head. "No, quite all right. I think I understand the basics. But, how far along is she? I haven't noticed any changes yet."

"Going on four weeks," the taiyoukai stated calmly, turning from Inuyasha and preparing to head back to the others. To him, this conversation was over. Inuyasha knew all that he needed to know.

That made sense t o Inuyasha- a demon had to be at least four weeks along before another demon, other than the parents themselves, could tell that the demon was pregnant. The child's parents would be able to tell almost instantly as the child was created. They developed a kind of sixth sense with the unborn fetus, a special link. Inuyasha was worried about facing their greatest enemy without the strong miko, "but at least she'll be safe. No matter what happens to us, she'll be safe. We won't have to worry," thought Inuyasha. "And it worked out just perfectly for Sesshomaru. He doesn't have to worry about her getting hurt and she can't protest to staying behind. I can't think of any other thing in the world that could keep her out of this fight. In fact, it worked out too perfectly," mused Inuyasha silently, suddenly remembering the special qualities of his youkai race, especially the ability to not get a woman pregnant unless the inu youkai wanted it- a certain control over their seed.

Sesshomaru stopped walking back to camp when he felt Inuyasha's anger flare again.

"You did it on purpose, you asshole," growled Inuyasha. Sesshomaru could tell that it was partly jealousy speaking from his half-brother. The taiyoukai silently cursed the idiot for finally using his brain. The demon lord already had his mate angry at him and now Inuyasha.

Inuyasha took dark enjoyment in Sesshomaru's situation. "Oh, just you wait. She's going to castrate you when she finds out. You got her pregnant on purpose- all just to keep her out of harm's way when we face Naraku. How long do you think it will take for her to finally realize that you had complete control over your...you know...seed? That it wasn't an accident. She'll figure it out and then you're in for it. You better hope she doesn't leave you and go back to her time, sealing the well behind her. 500 years is a long time to wait to apologize."

Sesshomaru remained unfazed. Deadpan, he said, "She has already realized it. She confronted me just a few minutes ago."

"So that's why she was yelling at you. I'm surprised she didn't do more. Hell, I'm surprised that you're not holy ashes right now." A few moments of awkward silence fell before Inuyasha's curiosity got the better of him. "Did she just...forgive you?"

Shocking himself, Sesshomaru answered the question. Maybe he just felt like quashing all of Inuyasha's hopes at a second chance at Kagome, the taiyoukai thought. He said, "Not yet. She said it would take her a while..."

"...but she still loves you and wants you to come back from the battle alive," finished Inuyasha knowingly. He caught Sesshomaru's quizzical brow. "What? You think you're the first to have a spat with Kagome? You may have been many a firsts for her, but not for fighting and arguing with her. Just a typical predictable Kagome. Her heart might just be too big and too forgiving. I never deserved her forgiveness, but she always gave it anyway," Inuyasha finished softly and sadly.

Sesshomaru almost had the beginnings of pity starting within his mind for the hanyou before him. Almost. But this hanyou was really his only threat as far as competition for Kagome's heart went. Instead of saying anything comforting, Sesshomaru kept a cold exterior and said, "I am returning," and walked off to the waiting group. They didn't even wait for Inuyasha to catch up before returning to their path on the way to Naraku's demise. Inuyasha just stood in the spot Sesshomaru had left him. To use one of Kagome's modern terms, he was just left hanging. Inuyasha's temper returned to him as he took after the group leaving him behind, hypocritically shouting rude phrases about being rude. The others just rolled their eyes.

Sesshomaru had pulled Kagome aside to once more warn her not to involve herself. "We will be able to defeat him. Do not worry about us. Just take care of yourself."

She took comfort in his arms as he wrapped them around her, her tears splashed down his chest. "Don't leave me without you in this world," she wept.

He kissed her softly. When he pulled away, gold eyes met silver. "Don't say such foolish things. I will return to you."

Then they parted and Kagome was left watching at the receding figures of her friends. He had warned her earlier that day to stay out of sight of the castle. If she could see them, Naraku could most likely see her and that would put her in danger. In her mind, Sesshomaru was saying, 'out of sight, out of mind,' and that ticked her off to no end.

She would follow behind them and keep out of the way. Sesshomaru's warnings be damned. He would not keep her from watching. She gathered up her bow and her bag and began to make her own way to Naraku's castle. She would not stand by and wait for either them to return or news of their defeat to reach her. She'd be ready...just in case.


	21. Chapter 21

-1**A/N: **I've been fretting over this chapter for days. It feels...drab. Sorry, but it's the best I could come up with. Warning: character(s) death(s).

**Chapter 21**

It was eerily quiet as they approached Naraku's castle. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha kept their demonic senses on alert as they walked, Sango's hand was tensed on her boomerang, and Miroku had his hand out and ready to open the wind tunnel in the merest of a second. Yet all was quiet and still. All life seemed to had fled from the area. The plants became brown and withered as they continued on towards the vile castle. There were no chirps of birds or crunches of squirrels playing in the leaves. Death seemed to pour from the castle and contaminant everything with its foul presence.

Making their way out of the woods, they were met by a gray and moldy stone castle. It had not been kept up- the stones were broken, the mortar was crumbling, and the doors hung loosely to the sides of black gaping holes in the wall of the building. Despite its absent appearance, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha could smell Naraku's body in this place and it was a fresh and active scent. Their enemy _was _here.

"Kukuku..." The evil laughter that could haunt even a grown man's nightmares (or a grown demon if he bothered to sleep to have nightmares) came from the black shadow of an open doorway. "Arrogance will be your downfall, Sesshomaru," came an amused and mocking voice from the showed doorway. Glowing red eyes preceded Naraku's full appearance, baboon pelt and all. The evil creatures smirked evilly and continued, "You dare face me without your pet Miko? Fool. You are no match for me."

Sesshomaru did not waste time for conversation. He never had for anyone else he planned to kill and he certainly wasn't going to have one with Naraku. The demon lord flew forward with his demonic speed, drew Tokigin in an instant, then cut the sword quickly through Naraku.

The sliced baboon pelt fell empty of flesh- it was only a puppet, but then again, Sesshomaru wasn't expecting it to be Naraku. The vile creature, though a fool for messing with this Sesshomaru, was not weak enough to be taken out by so simple an attack. Sesshomaru was simply trying to draw the real Naraku out of hiding. Aware that he was left open for a surprise attack if he remained where he had felled the puppet, Sesshomaru jumped back beside to rest of the group- strength in numbers, someone once said, and for once he actually heeded it. After all, he made a promise that he would come back to Kagome, and he would not jeopardize that promise, not for his pride, at least, after the path with Sasarg and the tree of Emoceba Anomeda.

Naraku's evil cackling could be heard again, but they could not pin-point its location. It seemed to be coming from all sides. "You'll have to try harder than that," came the oddly echoing voice.

The group formed a circle with their backs together to prevent an attack from behind. Inuyasha noticed how easily Sesshomaru became a part of their group to work as a team. The Sesshomaru of old would have sneered at the very idea of working with his hanyou brother and faced the threat alone and unaided. Inuyasha realized that it was Kagome that had brought about this change. It had to be. If his half-brother taiyoukai brother would change so much for one woman unasked, Inuyasha realized that they were truly in love. Not just Kagome having a crush on his brother or his brother lusting after Kagome, but Sesshomaru and Kagome loving each other with all of their hearts and minds. It suddenly clicked why he lost Kagome- he had never been willing to change unasked. Sure, Kagome would have accepted him the way he was, but if they were going to ever have anything deeper, anything more, he would have to be the one to create it. It would have never create itself and it hadn't. Inuyasha realized with awe how Kagome had subtly changed herself for him. It was never anything big, maybe that's why he never took notice before- she wouldn't burn leaves in the evening fires because she knew it irritated his nose; she wouldn't wear fancy perfumes or strong body sprays because of the same reason; she learned to sow and cook on a fire and sleep in the wild so she could spend more time with him; she even bought ramen noodles for him and endured eating them all the time even though he knew that she really didn't like them from her hesitation to stick them in her mouth all the time; she wouldn't wear traditional miko clothes or her hair tied back like Kikyo because she knew it bothered him. All of it had been for him and a thousand other little things. _You were right brother. I have been a stupid idiot my entire life, but not for the reasons you always told me. It was because I had Kagome, but I never understood how to make her mine, how to love her. _ _Sesshomaru, you deserve her, and if I have to lay down my life for you to return to her, so be it. I make that promise to myself now and I will not hesitate to fulfill it, _thought Inuyasha, preparing himself for anything.

Naraku came out of the shadows again, in front of Inuyasha. "He's over here," shouted Inuyasha, warning the others.

"No, he's over here," shouted Miroku, staring at the baboon pelted figure in front of him.

"But he's over here too," called a very confused Sango sitting on top of Kirara.

"He is here as well," came Sesshomaru's well controlled voice not betraying any shock or confusion.

The group peered around at the other's calls and found four Naraku's circling their protective circle.

"More puppets?" asked Inuyasha, not waiting for a response before he ran forward with Tetsusaiga cut through the Naraku in front of him. The fang easily sliced through the figure and Inuyasha smirked in triumph, however he soon realized that he claimed triumph too early. He had expected the Baboon pelted figure to turn into a wooden puppet figurine like they always did, yet the flesh never disappeared.

It became a gellish liquid and ran up Tetsusaiga, and from there his arm. Inuyasha hurriedly pulled himself out of the nightmarish soquid's grip. It appeared to have been trying to absorb him.

"Watch out!" Inuyasha warned the others. "These puppets aren't like the ones we've faced before. They're trying to absorb us. Don't let them get you in their grip."

"Very good," chorused the Naraku's as one. "You have figured out our plan, but how are you going to stop us? Now die!" The four Naraku's began attacking the comrades who tried to defend themselves the best they could and stay out of the puppets' grasps.

O0o.o0O

The real Naraku sat in the darkness of the castle watching his newest plan unfold. It was simplicity in itself: give each of his new puppets a small portion of his own demonic flesh so that they could regenerate themselves and try to capture the monk, demon slayer, fire cat, hanyou, and taiyoukai.

However the absence of the Miko concerned him. He knew the girl had too fiery of a spirit to not come to face him. He was sure she would show up, and just when he least expected it. She could be his downfall so he would just have to watch out for her.

"The miko will come. Beware of her. She's the only one we need to be concerned about," Naraku instructed his underling, Dainigumo who was faithfully waiting in the shadows beside his master.

O0o.o0O

Sango, still riding on Kirara, threw her boomerang, tearing through the Naraku puppet nearest to her. The flesh reformed so Kirara swatted it with a claw. The flesh caught hold of her fur, crawling up it and trying to encircle both the fire cat and Sango. Kirara fought it with all her strength, biting at it with her sharp teeth and trying to break free of its grasp. Sango hacked at the gooey flesh with her giant boomerang to no effect. It had too strong of a hold.

Sesshomaru was a whirlwind with his blade Tokigin, moving in perfect graceful circles and arcs to repel any Naraku-puppet flesh that tried to touch him. It worked well for the defensive, but there was no way for the demon lord to attack and Sesshomaru knew his strength would not last forever.

Inuyasha was not nearly as graceful with Tetsusaiga as Sesshomaru. Rather, he stabbed and swung his fang in every direction, but every time he cut through the Naraku puppet, the flesh would latch onto him and his sword. He was forced to keep jumping back to pull himself from the forming flesh cocoon.

Miroku flung his ofuda at the approaching Naraku puppet. The puppet watched the purification paper fly through the air, and, just when it was about to make contact, the puppet's flesh parted to allow the holy flaming paper to pass through. The puppet's flesh closed back up and was left unharmed. The baboon pelted creature smirked. Miroku stood in silent contemplation of his options for a moment considering the puppet was waiting for him to attack and he had the time. The monk nodded to himself for his decision and then pulled out his ace-in-the-hole, his wind tunnel. The puppet shook his head with an amused smile and pointed a finger above his head where a cloud of Saimyosho swarmed angrily. Marko's hand only hesitated for the slightest of a second on the seal of his cursed hand before he caught sight of his friends struggling to keep from being absorbed into Naraku.

Violet eyes hardened in resignation of his fate, Miroku yelled, "Sango! I'm sorry!"

Sango paused in her fighting and turned to Miroku confused. "Miroku, why-" She saw him open his wind tunnel and suck the Naraku puppet that he was facing in, along with a large number of poisonous Saimyosho. "No! Miroku. We'll defeat them together! Don't do this!" But it was too late. The puppet was already gone and the poison was already in his body.

Miroku shook his head at Sango's plea. "No, Sango. You need to save your strength to fight the real Naraku. Sango...you are the only woman I ever loved. Remember that." His voice was growing faint as the poison took effect. He had closed his wind tunnel to catch his breathe, his lungs were burning from the toxins in his body. He closed his eyes heavily in pain, but when he opened them again, there was only a fierce determination.

Inuyasha knew what that look meant. It meant that Miroku was going to sacrifice his own life to take out all of the puppets. The hanyou quickly pulled his arm from the flesh that had been working its was around him during his distraction. He punched the main mass of the globbed-flesh puppet, causing it to fly toward Miroku, whose wind tunnel reopened to suck it into oblivion along with a fresh nest of Saimyosho.

Pain, fiery pain was taking Miroku's concentration. He forced himself to move, to breath, to stay alive. The only thought keeping him going was, "Only two more to go. Almost finished. Then they're safe. Then she's safe." Sango was in tears and Kirara roared in anguish.

The fire cat was coated in the flesh from the puppet which was holding on to her fur. In desperation, Kirara flung Sango from herself, freeing the demon slayer from the flesh that entangled them both. Sango landed bruised but relatively safe a small distance away. The fire cat demon transformed back into her smaller form which made the flesh loosen its hold from around her and she jumped free. As soon as Kirara was out of the way, Miroku's wind tunnel was opened again and the flesh was sucked into it.

Falling to his knees, the monk faced the final Naraku puppet. His eyes had lost focus and his body was growing numb, but Miroku held up his cursed hand with his other hand and braced himself to finish his task.

Sesshomaru used his demonic speed to appear behind the Naraku puppet he was facing and he drew his Tokigin to fire a blast of demonic energy to push the puppet forward into Miroku's wind tunnel. A single stray Saimyosho buzzed to its master, but the rest were gone, lost in a place void of air, but a place where they could damage Miroku and poison him.

Miroku used the last of his strength to seal away the wind tunnel and then collapsed to the ground drawing harsh rattling breaths. The poison had worked its way through his system and was drawing near his heart. His eyes were open, but blackness gathered at the edges of his vision making him feel blind. The pain suddenly disappeared and his chest rose for one last breath. Sango threw herself to his side but instantly knew she was too late. He was gone. Kirara had tears in her eyes but she did not hover around Miroku's body. She instead protected Sango's back from attack. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stood with their heads bowed for the monk's sacrifice. Sesshomaru felt respect for this human building up in him and felt the rattle of Tensaiga calling to revive the monk.

O0o.o0O

Naraku watched the proceedings with mild amusement, Dainigumo at his side. "It took all four of those puppets to kill one monk. How pathetic of them, I'd hoped for better. Nevertheless, it had the expected result. Look at their faces. They've lost their desire to fight." He gave a short laugh. "Despair. I love that word and I love seeing my enemies fall after they have seen everyone around them also tragically fall. That look in their eyes- the hate and despair- I live to see it. They are so helpless, and me….kukuku…I am so powerful. Go now, Dainigumo and prevent the taiyoukai from reviving the monk with his sword. We won't have any renewed hope here today." Naraku's smile widened as he felt a new presence in the area. "Ah, and I must welcome a certain miko. Go."

"Yes, master," said the underling before backing away from his master and turning towards the battlefield.

Naraku undid the lid of a sturdy wooden box. "Despair and mayhem often go hand-in-hand. Go my servants, and cause mayhem." From the box poured hundreds upon thousands of youkai that grouped together to form one gigantic cloud. The demons continued to pour from the box as Naraku vanished from beside it.

O0o.o0O

Sesshomaru felt the rattle of Tensaiga by his side and his hand went to its shaking hilt. He pulled the sword from its sheath and narrowed his eyes so that he could find the embalmers of the afterlife. He did not have time to focus on them, however, before he had to evade an arrow that purified the ground he had just been standing on. Tensaiga was sheathed with a silent promise to come back to the monk after the battle and Sesshomaru turned to face Dainigumo.

"Sesshomaru," called the half Onigumo, half priest Daisuke. "I don't think we'll be reviving anyone today. After all, it's hard for a dead demon lord to revive anyone at all, and I plan to send your soul to Hell. With no miko to save you this time, there's nothing you can do. Die!"

Sesshomaru didn't have the chance to respond to the threat before he had to dodge another arrow with the pink tail of purification.

Then things just turned from bad to worse. A huge swarm of demons rose up from behind the castle and took to the air heading straight for the group. The swarm cast a dismal shadow upon them, blocking the red sunset from view.

The tip of Inuyasha's sword fell to the ground in disbelief as he looked up into the seemingly endless amount of demons. Inuyasha gulped down the fear he was feeling and raised his sword to meet the onslaught. He might not be able to kill them all, but he would take as many as he could with him before he died.

O0o.o0O

Kagome stumbled upon a scene right out of her nightmares. Miroku lay dead, Sango knelt crying beside him, Kirara fought off demons that dared approach them from a thick cloud of demons rising from the castle, Inuyasha solely faced the main onslaught of the demons, and Sesshomaru was facing off against a powerful priest trying to purify him. She fell to her knees as her mind reeled in shock. If only she had gotten here sooner, she could have saved Miroku. The monk, though lecherous, had a good heart and didn't deserve to die here. Not at Naraku's hands. But she hadn't been there for them. She had stayed too far behind their approach, frightened that Sesshomaru might sense her presence and force her to stay away. She had waited too long to follow, and now, she could see the results were disastrous. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself for it, and _she sure wouldn't forgive herself if someone else died now that she was here, _she told herself, pulling herself to her feet and setting an arrow to her bow. She would help them the best way she knew how. She took aim at Dainigumo and pulled back the bow's string. She was about to release the arrow when a brown claw-like tentacle sliced through the think string.

"Now, we can't have an interference like that. It would upset all the plans I've made for your destruction," said an evil voice behind her.

"Naraku," whispered Kagome, surprised that she didn't feel his approach. She had been too distracted by what was going on at the castle. Now, however, she could feel his aura and she instantly knew it was the real him, not a puppet. She could see the nearly complete Shikon Jewel embedded in the left side of his chest. She didn't have time to erect a barrier to protect herself before the tentacle that had sliced her bowstring switched directions and jabbed her in the left shoulder, snagging the necklace that held her human appearance.

She cried out in pain as the tentacle pierced into her flesh and bone, forcing her to drop the useless stringless bow. Her hand went up to the wound instinctively and she tried to purify the vile appendage. Her efforts were useless, she saw, as a barrier lit up at her powers protecting Naraku.

"It is pointless. This is not my barrier. I loaned it from an underling named Dainigumo. You met him before, yes? He didn't kill you and Sesshomaru last time because I ordered him not to. This time, however, your dear mate Sesshomaru won't be so lucky. Would you like to watch as he dies?" whispered Naraku in her ear, his body uncomfortably close to her own. He reached into the top of her shirt and pulled out the small glass bottle she kept jewel shards in. She shivered at his touch. "I'll be taking these." Then he supported all of her weight through the tentacle in her shoulder, sending new waves of pain through her body, before slamming her upright into a tree so that she had a view of the castle. She cried. Not for her own pain or situation, but for the sight that met her eyes at the castle.

O0o.o0O

On the battle field, Inuyasha took up a defensive position beside Kirara to help protect Sango who was in tears over Miroku's death. He tried to wake her from her blind sorrow so that she might not die also.

"Sango! Now's not the time to mourn! You'll die as well if you don't defend yourself now and then his sacrifice will have been in vain."

Sango sniffed pitifully and nodded. She took one last look at Miroku and wiped one last tear from her eye. She gave his hand a final squeeze, for once wishing that the lecherous monk would try to grope her or anything. She fumbled with her giant boomerang for a few seconds before her grip strengthened- her shock was over, now she wanted revenge.

She turned to the approaching swarm of demons with a fire in her eyes that could rival Kagome's anger.

Her first boomerang toss sliced through 10 demons before they even had the chance to flee. Inuyasha released his wind scar, but there were so many. Luckily, the demons were still staying back, not one wanted to be the first to charge the human, hanyou, and growling fire cat. Sango and Inuyasha kept throwing their long range attacks hoping to significantly reduce the number of demons before they got wise and charged as one unstoppable force.

The number didn't seem to dwindle and the demons began approaching again, ready to claw, scratch, bite, maim, and kill.

The three braced themselves for the impact as the space closed between them and the horde. One demon, anxious for blood, took the lead and headed toward the small group, hissing dangerously. It was silenced by a spear through the head. The group turned to see Kouga standing smugly on a nearby hill, a bundle of long spears across his back.

"Say it, dog turd: you're happy to see me here to save your scrappy hide," said the wolf chieftain.

"Mangy wolf!" yelled Inuyasha, brandishing his fist like a 3-year-old trying to make a point, his temper evident to everyone present, "I'd only be happy to see your sorry hide if you had an army behind you to help us!"

Kouga gave a wolfish smile, "Could you think of any other reason I'd be late to a battle to face Naraku?" Inuyasha looked on confused until Kouga brought his fingers to his mouth and let off a shrill whistle. Wolves and Wolf youkai appeared over the crest of the hill, all carrying weapons and the thrill of the fight running through their veins. Kouga gave a short hand signal and the horde of demons was bombarded with spears and javelins. The cloud of demons paused as a whole to assess the new threat. 400 new opponents had joined the fray.

Kouga stood proudly before his troops. "Mutt face, meet the wolf tribes of the North. We will defeat Kagura and Naraku for killing our brothers and sisters." The wolves barked and the wolf demons threw up their hands and cheered in agreement.

Inuyasha allowed himself a small smile, "Naraku's already taken care of Kagura, and you don't have to worry about Naraku- I'm going to kill him myself."

Kouga returned the hanyou's smile, "First one to get to him gets to kill him. May the best wolf win."

O0o.o0O

At the first blows of battle, a loser and a winner are always decided- the two opponents will instinctively know if they can win or if they will lose. They may both still try to claim victory, boast about it, try to trick the other opponent into a trap, or hold their head up high and stubbornly repeat that they will not lose, however, the decision itself is a subconscious one. Some chose to ignore what their instincts tell them to be true and find out later that should have listened to those instincts. Others misunderstand their subconscious's pull or it is clouded by emotion, overconfidence, or even under-confidence. This misunderstanding is the only time a battle's outcome can surprise a person who is frequently in battle and knows their own strength. Sesshomaru had only ever been surprised at the outcome of a battle when he had faced Inuyasha. Any other time, he had known that he would win and had carried through with it. The demon lord was suddenly wishing that he was misunderstanding his subconscious's pull- it told him that he would lose, that he was not strong enough to beat this Dainigumo creature in front of him. That feeling irritated him more than any other.

Sesshomaru stood facing Dainigumo after their last break from confrontation where Dainigumo had forced Sesshomaru's attention away from reviving the dead monk with Tensaiga. The demon lord took in the appearance of Naraku's holy underling- he had a bow held ready, arrows across his back, a sword at his hip, and Sesshomaru imagined ofuda tucked into the folds of his clothing.

Normally, nothing would appear very dangerous about this armed man, him being human and everything, but this human was crackling with holy power and had a certain crazed look that screamed, "I have lots of cruel tricks to play on you." The man had already sealed Sesshomaru once, and the taiyoukai had to be saved by Kagome. Now, there was no Kagome to protect him, a fact not overlooked by the half holy man, half Onigumo.

"Where's your pretty miko? Afraid I would kill her? You should fear more for your own life right now," mock-warned Dainigumo.

True to Sesshomaru's earlier suspicions, Dainigumo pulled two ofuda from the folds of his clothing. He threw them, one after the other, and Sesshomaru was forced to dodge them- he could feel the power radiating off of them even at the distance he was from them. He had stood up to purification before, but this priest was a lot more powerful than the one he had faced before. The priest could kill him, and his subconscious told him he would.

The two ofuda approached. Sesshomaru needed hardly to move a hair to avoid the first one- its aim was off. It flew by harmlessly and pinned itself to the ground. The second one was aimed at Sesshomaru's head and he knew that he would need his demonic speed to get out of that one's way. The Taiyoukai got ready to jump only to find that his body wouldn't listen to his commands. His eyes narrowed at the ofuda that had missed him and he saw it crackling with energy and seemed to be holding his shadow to the ground. Dainigumo hadn't missed him with the first ofuda- he had been aiming at the shadow to restrain the taiyoukai from the start. It was some type of magic that Sesshomaru had never seen before.

"Release me," growled Sesshomaru.

"I see no reason to," chuckled Dainigumo as he watched the second ofuda stick to Sesshomaru's forehead and crackle to life, lighting the pained expression of the demon lord in a yellow glow as the ofuda worked to destroy the taiyoukai.

Sesshomaru gave a ferocious growl against the pain. If he didn't do something soon, he knew he would die. His demon blood boiled as his inner beast worked to save itself. Golden eyes turned blood red, teeth grew longer and sharper, his snout elongated, and claws became even more deadly. His aura flared around him as his body began to transform into his beat form while Sesshomaru tried to regain control of his bloodthirsty inner beast that plagued all demons.

Dainigumo shook his head in mock sympathy, "Dear, dear me. We can't have that beast coming out and destroying everything, now can we? I suppose it's time to end this." The Naraku underling pulled his sword from his hip. He watched as Sesshomaru struggled to keep the inner beast at bay and saw his opportunity to strike amongst the distraction.

"May the Gods guide my blade to your heart and may they take mercy on your wretched soul," prayed the priest hybrid before running forward and stabbing with his sword.

O0o.o0O

Inuyasha paused to catch his breath. His arms were heavy with tiredness and the point of Tetsusaiga was dug into the ground to give him a break. Yet the cloud of demons kept coming. Individually, the demons were weak, but their numbers alone made them a serious and dangerous threat. The wolf tribes helped a lot, but many of them were falling against the insurmountable odds. Kouga, never one to give up, used the speed granted him by the Shikon jewel shards in his legs to kill demons at a surprising rate. He inspired his troops to keep fighting.

However, even with the army of wolves and Inuyasha's repetitive release of the wind scar, the cloud of demons did not get noticeably smaller.

"He must have a box, like he did with the rats. If we don't find the box, the demons will never stop coming," shouted Sango across the battlefield to Inuyasha. "We need to find it and shut it!"

Inuyasha nodded and bent his legs to jump off to find the box, "I'll go."

"No," said Sango, shaking her head, "They need your wind scar here. Kirara! Let's go!" Sango called the fire cat to her side and jumped onto her back. Rider and ridee forced their way through the swarm of demons looking for its start.

Inuyasha watched her progress in worry for a few moments before turning back to the demons at hand, slicing through five right away. His attention was torn from the demons again when he heard a feral growl rip through the air and overpower the clangs and shouts of battle. He searched around for it but was not expecting to find Sesshomaru, crackling with purification energy and fighting off his inner beast. Inuyasha had started running towards his half-brother, hoping he could somehow help, when he saw a priest-like man seemingly talking to himself, _or_, thought Inuyasha panicking, _praying before he kills! _Inuyasha added more speed to his run and saw the priest pull a sword from a sheath at his side. _It is now or never_, thought Inuyasha, _to follow through with my promise_. _I hope I can make it in time. _

O0o.o0O

Dainigumo thrust his sword forward and felt it go through flesh. His vision was filled with red, so he took a step back to see what had happened. He found that his view was impaired by a red jacket , steadily turning an even darker red from the blood pouring from the wound of a silver-haired, dog-eared hanyou. So much blood, Dainigumo instantly knew that he had pierced the heart, but it was the heart of the wrong demon. He gripped his sword handle tight and pulled it with a squelching noise from the hanyou's body. He pushed the dead body away from him with a disgusted look on his face- the half-demon's blood now coated him. The hanyou's body crumpled to the ground, vacant eyes staring unseeingly at the priest.

"Filthy blood. What a waste of your life, hanyou. Enough playing, you're as good as dead Sesshomaru!" Dainigumo brought his sword up again to finish the demon lord still struggling to control his mindless inner beast.

O0o.o0O

Hot tears trailed down Kagome's cheeks. Her hands shook as she was forced to witness her best friend's death. She felt something digging into her hand and cast her eyes down to find the arrow she was trying to shoot earlier before Naraku had broken her bow and pinned her to this tree with a tentacle through her left shoulder, barely missing a lung. She looked back up to see Dainigumo tossing aside Inuyasha's body without the respect it deserved, and then the priest turned to finish her mate. Her anger flared and an idea formed in her head.

"Naraku," she said dangerously, eyes flashing and getting the vile creatures attention. "Your mistake was not killing me when you had the chance."

Naraku gave a evil smirk, "All in good time, my pretty miko. You'll soon bleed to death from the wound in your shoulder without any medical attention, so I have just enough time to watch you suffer for all your meddling. You should have stayed out of my business where you belonged, miko. A battle amongst demons is no place for foolish little weak human like yourself."

Kagome adjusted her grip on the arrow and carefully brought it up so that it would not catch Naraku's attention. "I am neither as weak nor as human as I once was, Naraku."

Naraku's eyes widened in surprise as she added her holy powers to the arrow and jammed it into the tentacle pinning her to the tree. The arrow broke through the barrier where her fingers could not and purified the tentacle holding her. She caught herself before she hit the ground and felt the rosary that had been held on by the tentacle slip off from around her neck. Her brown eyes turned silver as she looked up into the fearful eyes of Naraku. He saw her hair suddenly turn golden and her tail appear, demonic markings were etched upon her skin, and her nails and teeth grew long and sharp.

"I will not let you hurt my mate!" she stated coldly before disappearing. Naraku looked around desperately before he remembered that she had said something about protecting Sesshomaru. Naraku was hardly ever shocked, but Kagome's sudden transformation certainly shocked him. He did not know such things were possible- a demon miko? It was an oxymoron in itself but it was that oxymoron that was scaring him. She could ruin everything and kill him and it was all because he had decided to play with his prey before killing it. The danger in it all excited Naraku and he turned to see if the demon miko would be able to save her mate from his holy underling. She was definitely an enemy worth killing, he thought with amusement.

**A/N: **Yep, I'm cruel enough to end this chapter here. Are Miroku and Inuyasha dead for keeps? Will Kagome be able to save Sesshomaru? Will Naraku finally be destroyed? Is that enough questions that I'm not going to answer until next chapter anyway? Ok, enough cruelty, I'll try to update soon.

Tiki Rane Gobell


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** Finally, here comes the second half of Naraku's defeat. I hope its okay. You can blame the delay on who ever was stupid enough to make us play in a Christmas basketball tournament…idiot. Anyway, back to the story.

**Chapter 22**

To Naraku, it had probably seemed like she had vanished, but she hadn't. She had pushed her demonic speed to the maximum and then more. She didn't have time- Dainigumo was in mid-thrust of his sword and aiming at her mate's heart. Demons could survive holes through their stomachs, severe burns, loss of limbs, and some could even survive decapitation if their heads were put back onto their necks before their bodies' died. Yet their heart was their weak spot, their Achilles' heel. If stabbed through the heart, they had no chance of survival, just like Inuyasha had died. Most demons could maneuver their bodies so that the weapon, even if it stabbed them, would miss their heart, and then they would be able to recover. Inuyasha had been in too big of a hurry and too out of time to try to avoid the sword through his heart. Kagome had watched, forced by Naraku to not interfere, as Inuyasha had charged in at the last second, unable to swing his sword without hurting Sesshomaru in the process, and did the only thing he could do- use his body as a shield for her mate. Kagome wouldn't have to be as sacrificial. She got just within range of her Miko powers and paused only a second to put up a barrier to protect her mate.

Not expecting it, Dainigumo collided with the holy shield and was thrown back, though he was able to stay on his feet. Even as he was still sliding backwards, Kagome made her move and ran up behind him. She could see the tainted jewel shard in his back, and even before Dainigumo had identified the new opponent, her clawed fingers plucked the shard from his body. However, only half of Dainigumo depended on the jewel shard, and she knew Onigumo still survived. Her other hand came forward, still grasping the arrow she had stabbed Naraku with just seconds before, and plunged it into what was left of Dainigumo's body, pouring her Miko powers into the arrow. Dainigumo never had the chance to see who was assaulting him before he was gone from this world and turned into only ash quickly being taken away by the wind.

Kagome heaved a sigh of relief when the evil creature disintegrated right in front of her. She dropped the arrow she had been holding on too and noticed the jewel shard she had taken from Dainigumo's back had already been purified of its darkness at her touch. She clasped it in her hand and gave a little prayer to any kami listening for giving her one last chance to keep Naraku from getting the full sacred jewel. This was her last chance to keep the jewel from Naraku's grasp.

Kagome didn't have the pleasure of thanking the kami for any longer so she rushed forward and plucked the purification seal off Sesshomaru forehead. She could see that he was struggling not to transform into his beast state and it seemed as though he was losing the battle, even though the purification seal was removed. His eyes were still red, the stripes on his checks were widening, his snout still growing longer, and both his teeth and nails were growing larger and sharper. Kagome, only having seen this happen with Inuyasha before, only knew of two things that could stop it- a subjugation necklace or a kiss. Frightening though Sesshomaru's transformation was, he was her mate and she would not let his beast take over. She approached him fearlessly, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Sesshomaru," she called out to him, trying to bring him back. He didn't harm her, he couldn't, not with his limbs restrained still by the seal on the ground, yet his beast growled dangerously, warning her not to approach. She didn't heed this and stood on her tip toes to reach his lips. And just as it had so many years ago with Inuyasha, Sesshomaru was able to remember himself and calm his inner beast, responding to her kiss as his attributes returned to their humanoid self.

He was still unable to move his body and wrap his arms around her like he wanted- to hold her and comfort her against the tears he saw in her eyes. He could see the body of his brother a short distance away and suddenly remembered him throwing himself in the path of the sword meant for the taiyoukai. The hanyou had thrown his life away for him- new respect for his half-brother grew within him. His mate was still clinging to the front of his clothing, apparently completely unaware that they were still on a battlefield, though it did not matter because the wolves were keeping the cloud of demons back from them.

"Kagome," he whispered, "I told you not to come to battle." It was more of a soft statement then a reprimand- there was no anger behind it.

"I couldn't...I couldn't just wait for the news of your death to reach me, not when I could prevent it," she cried.

"I am glad." His eyes widened in shock, but she could not see it with her face buried in his chest. He said, "I love you. Always remember that. Remember also not to allow your inner beast to take over- don't transform, it could hurt the baby."

Kagome pulled back from Sesshomaru enough to look him in the eyes. Something was not right. Those sounded like words of farewell. Was Sesshomaru injured, she wondered. Just then, a tentacle burst through the front of Sesshomaru's chest from the back. Suddenly, Kagome understood her mistake. She had left Sesshomaru's limbs sealed from movement because it had made his beast easier to approach and control. However, she had forgotten that there were more enemies on the battlefield than just Dainigumo and Naraku had snuck behind Sesshomaru and stabbed him through the back and heart during her distraction of trying to soothe his beast. Tears fell from her eyes freely as the tentacle was removed with a sickening squelch. Kagome moved back to Sesshomaru with every intention of healing his injuries. Even with her hand on his wound and Miko energy working to repair his injury, Sesshomaru said calmly, "It is too late."

The spell holding him in place was broken when his life force ended and he began to fall to the ground. Kagome caught his body and fell with him, unable to believe that the Kami, whom she had just thanked, had decided to curse her with his death. She silently cursed Sesshomaru for not telling her sooner that Naraku was pushing a tentacle through his heart. He had to have felt it. Had he believed her not strong enough to heal him when she had the time? Was he stubborn to ask for help, even when death was eminent? Or had he wanted to use the possibly last words of his life to comfort and protect her? Kagome hoped it was the last option as she held the body of her dead mate in her arms. As if she needed further proof that he was gone from her, the junction where her neck met her shoulder, where her mating mark was, started to burn as the precious mark erased itself from her skin. If she could see her forehead, she would have seen the crescent moon also fade from there. His death ended their bond.

O0o.o0O

Naraku watched sinisterly. He could finish her now, but she looked so broken, so destroyed, and so beautiful in his eyes. Her heartbreak aroused him, seeing her so helpless. He would finish her off, but not now. First, he would completely break her spirit, then he would take that broken mind of hers and mold it the way he wanted it. She would be easy to control, and he would be her master. He fingered an object in his pocket. He hadn't planned on using it, but had obtained it just in case it would be useful. Now, he could see it all in his mind of how the one little object in his pocket would finally tame the once-tameless miko. She had captured his attention, and for her, that wasn't anything good.

But he was getting ahead of himself. She still had a shimmer of hope. She thought she could still keep him from getting the entire shikon jewel. That much was evident in the way she crushing the shard in her hand, intent on keeping it safe and pure. There were two shards left, Naraku reminded himself as he slunk off to find the wolf chief. After he had those two, he could make everything his.

He found Kouga decimating the demons he had released. He noticed for the first time the army the wolf had brought with him. 'Pathetic,' he thought as he watched more of the wolf army fall. They could not stand against the numbers. Only a score of the demons were left. 'They are fools. They should have not shown up and forfeited their lives. What foolish waste on their part. They mean nothing to me,' thought Naraku. He appeared behind Kouga, pinning his legs and arms in his tentacles.

"I've come for the shards. Hand them over and I may let you live, wolf," offered Naraku, his smirk ending all such notions that he may be telling the truth.

"Yeah right, scum. I won't hand my jewel shards over to a weakling like you," yelled Kouga, kicking himself out of Naraku's grasp.

"Then I will take them from your dead body, wolf." Tentacles sprung at Kouga like bullets, all deadly sharp and aiming to kill. Kouga had the speed to avoid some of them, and the ones he couldn't he jumped away from. During one of these jumps, Naraku disappeared from in front of wolf youkai. Kouga swiveled his head around trying to find where the evil creature had gone but he was no where in sight. A chill went up Kouga's spine. 'I don't like this,' he thought. He tried to sniff Naraku out, but the fiend's stench permeated the castle making it impossible to pin-point. Suddenly, a weight was dropped on the wolf chieftain from the air. Kouga was pushed to the ground with enough forced to shatter several of his bones. He landed in a crater with Naraku above him, his brown tentacles relieving the wolf of his jewel shards. They absorbed into his body and merged with the nearly complete jewel. Kouga growled and tried to get up, only to get stabbed through with another brown tentacle. Kouga blinked in surprised and coughed up blood. More blood covered his clothes and escaped from the hole in his chest. He found himself losing consciousness, from which he would never return.

O0o.o0O

The demon slayer and her fire cat had to fight for every inch that they gained trying to reach the start of the demons. They flew out of the rushing cloud of demons and took to high above them in the skies trying to find where all the demons could be coming from. Sango followed their movements and found a promising spot. "Kirara, take me down there. I think we'll find the box there," said Sango, pointing to the place she was referring to. Kirara gave a roar to show that she had heard and took off through the demons again.

They came upon a heavy wooden box, the lid cast carelessly to the side. Demons were pouring from the open top. Sango went to jump off Kirara, but she never reached the ground. Her arm was caught by a tubular demon with a toothy circular mouth. Sango screamed out in pain and surprised as the teeth imbedded into the flesh of her arm. Always the quick thinker in such situations, Sango pulled her sword from her sheath and stabbed it through the youkai's head. The youkai gave a screech and fell to the ground, dragging Sango along with it. The youkai's flinched when it hit the ground and tried to pull away from the woman. Its teeth ripped down Sango's arm as it tried to flee, leaving deep gashes. The teeth passed over Sango's wrist, slicing through the thin skin and into the veins. Blood spurted like a geyser from the wound and Sango's grew dizzy and light headed. She had enough sense to pull a strip of cloth from one of her pockets and tie it around her wrist to ease the blood flow. Subconsciously, she already knew she was a goner, but she used that that thought to fuel her. Sango unsteadily picked herself up, sparing a glance a kirara who was still fighting off demons least they too got to the demon slayer. Sango lifted the heavy lid of the box and forced it over top of the wooden container, pushing down till it fit snugly. The demons stopped issuing forth and Sango allowed herself a small smile. She tried not to look at the deep cuts down her arm or the cloth now dyed red from her blood. Everything just seemed so fuzzy. 'It's just from the blood loss," she told herself as she looked at the puddle of blood she was sitting in, more rushing down her arms to join it still. She morbidly wondered how many veins and arteries the demon had sliced with her teeth. She felt too tired to even answer her own question as she allowed herself to rest, her back resting against the heavy wooden box she had just closed and Kirara fighting to keep the remaining demons at bay.

O0o.o0O

Kagome wanted to cry, more than she had ever wanted to in her entire life. She wanted to be able to release some of the sadness welling up in her, tightening around her own heart and making it hard to breath. Yet, for once, her own tears failed her and she could not cry. She could not mourn her friends' deaths and she could not mourn her mate's death. . Her mind wouldn't believe it, or maybe, it just wouldn't accept it. Sadness turned to anger as she tried to release her sorrow. Anger at herself for not being able to cry, anger at her mate for daring to die and leave her there all alone with his child in her womb, anger at the kami for not allowing her the simplest pleasure of having her mate alive, and anger at the person who caused all of this. No, not person. Naraku did not deserve the privilege of being called a person. He was a foul and miserable creature who took perverse pleasure in destroying the lives of good people.

"Naraku," Kagome's clear cold voice rang out above the clangs of battle, surprising the evil creature she was calling to. "You will pay for what you have done."

"Is that so little miko?" taunted the vile fiend, "All your friends are dead or dying, your mate as well, and you are nothing on your own. Demon or not, you cannot hope to defeat me. Why not join me? Together, we could rule all the lands. Nothing would be out of our grasp. All you need is to give your loyalty to me and maybe…I could even replace that foolish mate of yours."

His words were nothing to her. Dead or not, she would never betray her friends and she would never listen to the vile creature that had ruined so many lives.

Her voice was laced with the emotions she was changing into her strength. "Enough. You waste your breathe on me and I have wasted too many years of my life on you. This ends right here, right now. Prepare to die!"

Miko powers swelled around her, whipping up her demonic golden hair and making her look like a vengeful angel.

Naraku looked on the display with disinterest. Inwardly, he was amazed at her power, but he would never let it show. He may not have had all the right cards, but he would sure act like he did. He wanted to mold this little miko to his purposes.

He waited until her powers leveled out to a certain degree of calmness before laughing in her face. "Do you think your display would frighten me, little miko? I assure you I am perfectly capable of destroying you in an instant in at least ten different ways. But I think you'll be more fun if I keep you alive for a while."

"I would never pleasure you, Naraku," Kagome defended herself, powers jolting again.

Naraku smirked lustfully, "Ah, such a fiery spirit. It mars your perfect face and body. But I have ways to tame that spirit. Take this for instance," Naraku pulled out the object from his pocket he had been contemplating using earlier. It was a black metal bracelet. Kagome saw that it had a powerful and dark aura surrounding it. The hairs stood on end on the back of her neck.

"I take it from your blank stare that you have never heard of the Bracelet of Servitude. Let me inform you of its…unique properties. As its name implies, it forces the wearer into a state of servitude. My wish shall become your command that you cannot hope to fight against."

Kagome openly laughed at Naraku's ploy, "You're foolish if you think you can get that thing on me, Naraku. I will never serve you, but I will kill you." With that she prepared to charge her claws up and ready to slice through Naraku. She suddenly skidded to a stop when she felt the black bracelet in Naraku's hand thrumming to life with ominous energy.

'"Be careful, miko," mocked-warned Naraku, "This thing has a mind of its own. One never knows exactly what to expect from this bracelet." As if the verify the claim, the bracelet jumped from Naraku's hand and flew through the air. Kagome hastily threw up a barrier to protect herself from it. The bracelet dinked against the side of the barrier once before it started to push through it.

"Impossible," breathed Kagome, silver eyes wide in shock.

The bracelet made it through the barrier and Kagome tried to fend it away with her hands. It simply rolled over her skin, feeling oddly warm rather than cold like most metal would be, and attached itself to her wrist.

Naraku's eyes lit up in success, glad to have victory over the meddling miko. To ascertain if the bracelet had taken complete control, Naraku gave her an order. "Miko, give me the last jewel shard."

Kagome hesitantly walked over to Naraku, her barrier down and her Miko powers at rest. She tried to fight the control, but she was losing. Her shaking hand stretched out and she laid the last jewel shard in Naraku's hand. He laughed in victory as the shard became part of his own and formed the complete shikon jewel as black and tainted as ever.

He looked at the miko that had tried to keep the jewel from him for so many years and the torture he would impart on her for doing so. He got a sudden idea, one that would only suit his perverse whims. "Miko," he commanded, "Kiss me."

Kagome's body jerked forward, out of her control. She drew closer to Naraku and her lips neared his. She paused in a final bout of internal struggle.

Inside Kagome's mind, she was fighting against the bracelets control, though her fighting grew weaker. She couldn't remember why she wanted to fight the control at all. Everything was getting cloudy. A loud voice commanded her to kiss him. She didn't really want to, but her body went ahead and tried to do it anyway. She just couldn't remember. Wasn't there someone she was saving that for? Wasn't there someone she should be avenging? Even as she thought these thoughts they became muddled. She searched around in the recesses of her lightlessness of her mind, trying to remember what she was supposed to be remembering. Suddenly, a light grew in her mind, granting her sight. She could feel a presence and it felt so familiar. She searched for it, exploring her own mind to find the creator of the light. She found the presence of another. _Her unborn child_ she remembered. The memories came rushing back to her. Sesshomaru and her friends dead. Naraku laughing. The bracelet. Naraku ordering her to kiss him. _Oh, his nerve!_ She thought angrily. There was no way she was going to disgrace Sesshomaru's memory that way! The light that her unborn child created flashed again, forcing her to close her mental eyes against the light. When she opened them again, she was seeing the outside world and her body was drawing closer to Naraku. However now, she was in control of her actions, bracelet or none.

Naraku was waiting for the pretty miko to kiss him when he felt a new aura flare up from within her. He reached out a hand to her stomach to further investigate the new energy when Kagome's clawed hand caught his arm and her nails dug into his flesh.

It was now Naraku's turn to breathe, "Impossible," as he felt the miko's powers flaring once more.

While one of Kagome's hands gripped Naraku's arm, the other flew up and dug into the flesh in his chest, pulling out the completed shikon jewel which instantly purified at her touch. Kagome felt the dam holding back her powers break as a pink light surrounded her. The miko energy poured out of Kagome, breaking the bracelet of Servitude in half and letting it fall to the ground and then into the only available outlet- into Naraku, destroying him with a final scream of pain from him. The powers did not stop there as the entire battlefield filled with the pink light. The power surrounded those left, discerning if they were friend or foe. Those who were foes followed Naraku's fate as the power attacked and purified them. Those that were friends soon found their wounds healing and energy returning to them. The power extended out, even purifying the miasma absorbed into the ground that was causing the plants to die as greenness began creeping back into the castle grounds. Her powers extended as far as they could, healing all that was hurt, before the pink light crashed back into the girl that had released it. Kagome fell unconscious to the ground as the shikon jewel gracefully levitated into the air before hovering above the spot it had been taken out of. It merged with Kagome's skin and returned to the place where it had come into the world.

Minutes later, Kagome was being shaken awake by Sango, who had been healed by the pink light. The demon slayer had tears in her eyes as Kagome sat up and the two surveyed what, or rather who, was left on the battlefield. Only the bodies of their comrades laid scattered about where they had died, nothing was left of the enemy. A miko could heal the sick or wounded, but they had no power over the dead. Sango silently left Kagome to go over to Miroku's body as she mourned for him once more. Kirara was in her smaller state and had tears flowing down her eyes from where she sat on Sango's shoulders. About a dozen wolves still stood, some kneeled in remembrance of their dead friends laying upon the grassy courtyard of the desolate castle.

Kagome herself made her way over to Sesshomaru's body. She grasped his dead hand while wondering how he could even look beautiful laying there dead with his silver hair tanglelessly splayed over the ground. Tears came to her easily as she finally found herself able to cry. "Why did you leave me Sesshomaru?" She looked around at the bodies littering the ground. Many were her friends. "Why did so many have to die and why must I be helpless to fix it."

Suddenly, something that Totusai told her once came to mind. _Tetsusaiga, capable of killing a 100 demons in one swing and Tensaiga, capable of bringing back100 lives in one swing._

She had never seen Sesshomaru use such an attack and doubted if he knew how, but as her hand touch the hilt of the sword, the knowledge was thrown into her mind by some magical property of the sword. She stood up, pulling the sword with her as she went, and narrowed her eyes at the battlefield. She could see the embalmers of the afterlife tending to the dead, crowding the ground. She swung the blade at the bodies clearly saying, "Wind of Revival," and released a white blast that tore through the embalmers. The dead opened their eyes to find themselves among the living once more. Wolf comrades embraced their friends in happiness.

Kagome continued releasing blasts until all the embalmers were gone except for the ones at her feet on Sesshomaru. Those, she disposed of herself with a quick swing of the sword. As golden eyes opened once again, Kagome dropped the sword and fell into the taiyoukai's arms. He kissed her forehead as her mating mark returned and the crescent moon once again appeared on her forehead. Tears were still running down her cheeks in a greater flow than before.

"Why are you still crying mate? Everything is all right now. You saved us all," Sesshomaru asked his mate, rubbing her back to try to sooth her.

Kagome shook her head, "These aren't tears of sadness, Sesshomaru. They're tears of happiness. I thought I had to go on living without you, Sesshomaru. Never die on me again!"

Sesshomaru allowed a small smile to grace his features, " I don't plan on it." Kagome chuckled against her tears.

Sesshomaru suddenly noticed the blood on Kagome's shoulder.

"You're injured, mate," he whispered worriedly and he checked her for wounds. Surprisingly, he found none.

Kagome looked down at her shoulder, "It's fine, Sesshomaru. It's already healed."

"And the child?" said Sesshomaru, moving his hand to lay on her belly to feel its presence, which seemed to have grown dramatically.

"Growing stronger," answered Kagome.

"Indeed," answered Sesshomaru, becoming aware that he didn't need to feel her belly anymore to sense the child's presence.

O0o.o0O

Miroku awoke to find a mass of black hair in his face and a distressed Sango crying into the front of his robes.

"Ah, so this is heaven. I wonder if every guy gets a beautiful girl crying in his arms when they die," commented Miroku airily as his 'cursed' hand went forward to stroke Sango's buttocks.

A fist went crashing into his head, though not as hard as usual and he heard Sango yell, "Hentai! You're not dead, though if you keep stroking my ass you will be."

"Sango! My fair maiden! Does this mean Naraku is destroyed?" asked the monk, keeping his hands to himself at the threat.

"Yes,"sobbed Sango, "Yes, it's finally over."

Miroku quickly undid the seal around his cursed had and discovered the wind tunnel was gone. He was struck dumb for a few minutes as he tried to comprehend how life was going to be different. He shrugged his shoulders against it and replied to Sango's earlier statement, "Over? Not for you and me Sango. I have plenty of children I want you to bear for me Sango."

"Oh, Miroku, it would be an honor," said Sango, crying into his robes once more.

O0o.o0O

Having no one to greet them when they returned to life, Kouga and Inuyasha sought out each other prepared to hound the other on something they could've done better to defeat Naraku. However, when they met the sight of Kagome crying into Sesshomaru's chest. They both fell into silence as they watched her.

Inuyasha commented out loud, "She's something else, isn't she?"

"Yes," replied the wolf.

"She could have been mine," muttered Inuyasha.

Kouga laughed. "She would've picked me over you any day, mutt."

"Why you mangy wolf, I saved her life more times than you. She liked me more."

"But she would've been safer with me, mutt face, had she let me take her as my woman."

"Would not," came Inuyasha's mature retort.

""Would too!" defended Kouga.

"I think she likes me more than both of you combined," came Sesshomaru's cool voice, revealing that the couple could hear every word of the wolf and inu hanyou's argument.

"Why you pompous ass…did you just make a joke?" asked a stunned Inuyasha while Kouga gaped. Inuyasha continued, "If she could make Sesshomaru have a sense of humor, than that girl is neither a human, miko, nor demon. She must be a goddess."

"Yeah," came Kouga's reply.

"HEY!" came Kagome's agitated voice, "Stop talking about me like I'm not here!"

"She still is scary when she's angry, though," said Inuyasha, dropping his voice lower so that she might not here. It didn't work and soon a "SIT BOY!" rang out across castle courtyard, pummeling Inuyasha into the ground.

"Yeah," Kouga agreed with Inuyasha who was at the bottom of a hanyou-shaped crater.

Oo0o.end chapter.o0O

A/N: I think I need to work on a better writing schedule because it is currently 3:00 am where I'm at and I'm working on a chapter. Oh well, when an idea hits you, it hits you. Speaking of ideas hitting you, no ideas have hit me for the ending of this story yet, so an update may be a ways away. Hope you had a merry Christmas and I hope you have a happy and safe new year as well. Take care and thanks for taking the time to read what I have written.

Tiki Rane Gobell


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The battle was finally over and the evil was defeated. It was time to depart from the castle Naraku had once used as his lair and return home to waiting friends and family. There was bound to be much excitement because the hanyou that had threatened so many people's lives was finally destroyed. Sesshomaru invited all those who fought back to the castle for a feast before they returned home and they were in the process of walking to Inu Taisho's castle when Kouga came up to Kagome who was walking with Sesshomaru and spoke to her.

"So, a child?" he asked her, now able to sense the baby's aura- it would be a strong demon.

Kagome gave a big smile and nodded excitably while putting an arm around Sesshomaru's back. The demon lord promptly pulled her closer into his frame. He couldn't help but feel a little protective over his mate- she was beautiful, she had his child in her womb, and the males around her had all already shown interest in her.

Sango and Miroku joined the conversation. Kagome noticed that they were holding hands and found the scene all too cute. "Really, Kagome? I was wondering why you were going to stay out of battle. You could have told us," her adopted sister lightly scolded.

"I agree with Sango, but for all our lives' sakes, I'm glad you decided to come to battle anyway," said Miroku, his eyes closed as he smiled widely.

"I'm sorry, guys. I just didn't want to make you all worry about me," responded Kagome wholeheartedly.

"You wouldn't have needed to worry about us if some taiyoukai wasn't a pompous ass and went and created that child in the first place," Inuyasha pointed out bluntly.

"Inuyasha! I can't believe you just said that. That has to be closest to the most inconsiderate thing you have ever said to me. I happen to want this child and I'm sure Sesshomaru does too. The nerve of you! Ohh-ho, you better be glad I'm pregnant, or I would transform and stomp all up and down your ass!" screamed Kagome, defending her mate. Sesshomaru had to restrain her from attacking Inuyasha and ended up picking her up in his arms and carrying her bridal style the rest of the way to the castle.

Inuyasha was taken aback at her temper and started walking on the other side of Sango and Miroku to put more bodies between him and the irate miko demon.

He whispered to them, "Is it just me, or does she seem a bit emotionally unstable today?"

Miroku chuckled, "It's probably just because of the pregnancy. It makes women's emotions very unstable." Miroku suddenly sweat-dropped as he felt a fire burning beside him. He turned to face Sango. "Uh, Sango?"

Sango's glare sent a shiver down his spine as he tried to back away from the demon slayer. "What did I say wrong?" he asked desperately.

"What do you know of pregnancies, Miroku? Has someone actually ever bore you a child?" she asked dangerously.

"Ah, now, my dear Sango, you have this all wrong. I merely know from the grapevine. Someone told someone who told me, that's all!" He tried to calm her down.

"It better be!" threatened Sango, her boomerang suddenly looking very dangerous to Miroku.

Sesshomaru silently sighed to himself as his father's castle came into view. He was, for once, glad to be home. At least he could seclude himself from all these petty fights. He would endure it only because they were Kagome's friends. Had it been anyone else interrupting the peacefulness of the journey, he would've killed them already. The taiyoukai looked down at the woman he held in his arms- she was clueless to the amount of power she held over him. She felt his gaze and turned towards him, smiling her beautiful smile. He allowed himself to smile and kissed her forehead.

O0o.o0O

About five months passed after they had returned. Kouga and his tribe had long ago returned to their caves only to return with their families to help Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku build a new town where humans, demons, and hanyous could live together in peace. They began building the town near the castle so that they could be under the protection of Sesshomaru if ever anyone decided to attack their way of life. Often times, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and Kouga, who took it upon themselves to take charge of the project, could be seen conferring with Kagome about new ways to allot the space and irrigate the fields. She was a landfill of useful information. Kouga had finally stopped chasing Kagome and had settled down with Ayame to fulfill the promise he had made under the lunar rainbow. Miroku and Sango had also gotten married, but that didn't stop Sango's jealousy. Miroku had practically isolated himself from all females except for Sango and Kagome, in return, he received all of Sango's love and affections. Although their loud arguments could often be heard as far away as Inu Taisho's castle, they did love each other very much. She was already pregnant with Miroku's first child (of many he promised). They were offered the chance to become demons also by going to the path guarded by Sasarg but decided against it. They were happy as humans and saw no reason to change, not to mention, the world could not handle the amount of children an extended life would bring to them. Kohaku took up residence with the couple. With the emergence of the new town, trade began to flourish in that part of the country. Because the barrier was becoming a nuisance in the time of peace, Sesshomaru took down his father's blood barrier to allow the traders to come to the castle as well. The castle was by no means unprotected, though, as Sesshomaru promptly enlisted soldiers into his personal army. He only chose demons who could accept and live by humans. In this way, the town Inuyasha and the group had created grew even larger. At first the friends had wanted to name the town after Kagome, but she wouldn't hear of that. Finally, they decided after much debate to call it Issho, Together in one place.

Sesshomaru was busy as he once again had taken up his position of the Lord of the Western Lands. Kagome often helped him, especially whenever math would come in handy, for she had more education than him in that subject. She also began keeping more detailed records of what was going on in the Western Lands so that she could one day turn it into a history book. However, she wasn't doing that now. Right now, she was standing in front of a full length mirror staring at her large, round belly. Sesshomaru feigned sleep as he watched her from their bed. She rubbed her hands over the soft flesh, slightly worried.

"Sesshomaru, I know you're not really asleep," she told him.

He caught the scent of worry on her and promptly got out of bed to wrap his arms around her. "Koi, why are you worried?"

"I just look really big. I'm just over six months along and I look like I have watermelon or two in my belly. I just hope everything's alright. I worry that the baby won't be safe."

Sesshomaru took her hand in his and directed it over her belly. He also thought she was rather large and was tempted to say that she was pregnant with twins, but knew this couldn't be true. He could only sense one aura in her belly. "Do you sense our child? What does it tell you?" he asked.

She gave a weak smile, "That everything is fine."

"And yet you're still worried about how big you're getting?" he asked, barely above a whisper and somehow seductive to her. She melted farther into his arms and chest and gave a nod.

"Mate," said Sesshomaru, a bit amusement in his voice, "How big did you expect to be when you're only a few weeks away from giving birth?"

Kagome tensed. "What?" was the only intelligent thing she could think to say.

Sesshomaru explained, "Demons only carry their young for seven months."

"Seven?" she asked incredulously, "but humans are pregnant for nine months! Oh, Kami, Sesshomaru! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was not aware that you did not know this," he answered simply.

Kagome thought silently to herself for a few minutes, relishing in the warmth of Sesshomaru's arms. Suddenly an idea popped into her head that she couldn't answer, so she asked Sesshomaru.

"I wonder why demons don't carry their young for as long as humans. I would expect longer since demons age slower."

Sesshomaru thought about it before coming up with a logical explanation. "Demons are constantly fighting each other and are risk of losing themselves to their inner beasts and transforming. Perhaps, it's because this is a danger to the child that they grow faster to protect themselves. Once their born, they age as humans do until the age of seven. After that, their aging slows dramatically and they can remain unchanged for years."

Kagome nodded her head in understanding. "I've noticed that. From what I've seen, on average, a demon gains 1 human year of growth for every seven years, but it's really periods of accelerated growth followed by years of no change."

"Hai, mate," said Sesshomaru, "but by the time a demon looks the age of 20, all aging seems to stop. No one is quite sure how long a demon will live as most die in battle rather than by natural causes."

"Then we'll just have to see it for ourselves," smiled Kagome.

"Hai, we will," echoed Sesshomaru, easing all of Kagome's tensions.

O0o.o0O

A few short weeks later, Sesshomaru was in his study working out a new trade agreement with a distant land when Jaken came barging in, lungs heaving and in hysterics.

"Milord!" His squeaky voice screamed, "It's time! Lady Kagome is in labor! The heir to the Western Lands is on its way!"

Sesshomaru jumped up from his chair which knocked over with the movement before using his demonic speed to bolt down the corridors faster than the eyes could see. Servants cleaning the hallways were left wondering as a great gush of air whipped by them with no known cause. Sesshomaru was scared out of his wits. He was going to be a father, and though he had tried to prepare himself for this for the last seven months, nothing could prepare him for the panic he was feeling now. Never in his life had he questioned if he was good enough, but now he found himself wondering if he would be able to raise his own flesh and blood properly. His only comfort was knowing that Kagome would be by his side and she would at least know what to do.

He almost made it into the infirmary, but as he approached the Healer Relaeh opened the door and took up a protective stance in front of it. He could sense his mate in the room just behind that door and he could tell that she was in pain.

"Move," he ordered the castle healer.

"No, Lord Sesshomaru," she answered boldly. "You know as well as I do that there are no men present during the birthing. You could get worked up and transform, and we can't have that. Now, take a seat out here in the hallway or leave."

Sesshomaru was tempted to rush by the demon nurse and into the room against her orders (after all, who orders the western lord to do anything?) but the intelligent part of him made him heed her warnings as he plopped himself on the floor to wait. She had a point and he would not endanger his mate's nor his child's life. He would wait. The nurse Relaeh saw him regain control of himself so she went back inside the room to help Kagome along with some female servants who would be assisting with the birth.

Sesshomaru tried to meditate and calm himself, but he was quickly disturbed. Arguing voices rang down the halls, preceding the noise-makers themselves. Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha, and Kouga had all received news of Kagome and had come to wait on her.

"QUIET!" roared Sesshomaru as he tried to listen to his mate in the room on the other side of the wall. The loud voices were making it hard for him to hear what was going on. The group of friends instantly fell quiet.

Rin and Shippo entered the hallway next, having heard Sesshomaru's roar as they were playing outside in the garden. They ran up to Sesshomaru and threw themselves into his arms. He held them absentmindedly, still intently listening to his mate.

Suddenly, a swirl of wind carrying the scent of grass entered the hallway.

"What the hell?" asked Inuyasha as he prepared for battle, drawing Tetsusaiga.

"It's fine, Inuyasha," said Sesshomaru, feeling the children cower nearer to him, "It's only Sasarg."

"ONLY? After all I put you through, the only appreciation I get is 'it's _only_ Sasarg!' The nerve of some taiyoukai!" spouted the green guardian angrily. He had appeared right next to Inuyasha, causing the hanyou to jump in fright. Sasarg continued without waiting for some kind of response. "Hmm, Inuyasha, so you're the second son of Inu Taisho? Strong for a hanyou. But how cruel- your brother got the girl you love," leaving Inuyasha flabbergasted, Sasarg sidled over to Kouga, "Ouch, the girl had your heart too, Kouga? Poor guys. But at least you have Ayame to fall back to. She's a sweet girl who will never be false to you. Of course, you know that, don't you?" In a flash, he had left Kouga's side and was next to Miroku, "Miroku, lecherous thoughts do not do a monk any good. I'm glad you found Sango who's not afraid to beat those thoughts out of you," he turned to the demon slayer, "Watch that child growing in your womb. Don't left the little fellow turn out as lecherous as his father. Yes, it will be a boy."

Inuyasha began angrily, "Can you-" but he was cut off by the guardian.

"-read minds? Yes. And memories," said the guardian as if it was no big deal, like he was simply stating that he can add two plus two and get four every time.

Sasarg wasn't done yet. He picked up Shippo and Rin, who desperately tried to cling to Sesshomaru, but lost the fight. Sasarg held one child in each arm. "Shippo and Rin, you two are about to become a big sister and brother. You'll have to be responsible and protect your siblings. Shippo, I like your pranks. A little fox magic does the soul good, you know? And Rin. You are the first child to ever be given the Drink of Anomede, but you turned out right cute." Sasarg set down the two children on the floor while Sesshomaru stood to face Sasarg.

The guardian of the tree of Emoceba Anomede faced the taiyoukai without the slightest hint of fear. He said, "Which brings us to Sesshomaru."

"Why are you here, Sasarg?" the demon lord address the guardian.

"This will be the first child born to someone that has become a demon from the drink of Anomede. I came to see the results," he answered cheerfully.

"You make this seem like an experiment," commented Sesshomaru, but the comment was wasted on Sasarg who instead answered a question from Kouga, who had long ago been explained how Kagome became a demon.

"I'm curious," said the wolf youkai, "How many people have been turned into demons with the drink of Anomede?"

"Only two people have ever reached the tree and only three people have become demons by it."

The taiyoukai was now interested, "Who was the other?"

Sasarg closed his eyes in thought. They stood around him for what must've been five straight minutes before he opened his eyes again. "I've forgotten," he said absently, still trying to remember the name, and causing everyone present to sweat drop. "If I remember correctly, which I may not, this was 700 years ago let me remind you, this human had found a demonic jug that was used by a youkai lord of old to speed up the process of fermenting wine. He had a good heart when he came to my mountain and I allowed him to take the leaves from the tree. He had found a woman he loved very much and wanted to live with her forever. However, once he became a demon and urged her to do the same, she became scared of him and broke his heart. It seems to me like his name was Makoto or something similar, but after she left him and then died from old age years later, he grew bitter and moved to a distant corner of the world, fashioning himself a new name. I haven't heard of him since."

"And so you're here to see how the drink affects the second generation," summed up Miroku.

"Partly," replied the guardian. "It was also my last request to come see this birth."

"Last request?" inquired Sesshomaru, an eyebrow raised.

"The Kami have decided that it is time for the Tree of Emoceba Anomede to pass from this world, and with it, me as well. I'm not upset; I've lived through many centuries and have seen many empires rise and fall."

"Yet you have strong powers. Why do you wish to not live a normal life?" asked Sesshomaru.

Sasarg heaved a sigh before answering. "The kami have instructed me not to interfere with the ways of the world with my powers. That is the reason I did not join you as you fought against Naraku. If I had assisted you, I would have messed with what was fated and the kami do not like that. No, I will depart from this world. I will not lie. I have been looking forward to the end of my duties for quite some time."

"Then I shall pray that you find peace in the afterlife," said Sesshomaru.

Sasarg smiled and was about to thank the taiyoukai for his sentiments when a scream issued from the room they were standing outside of.

"Kagome!" breathed Sesshomaru, spinning around and trying to keep himself from entering the room despite the nurse's reasoning.

Sasarg restrained him with a hand on his shoulder. "It seems you have changed Sesshomaru. You care more for that woman giving birth than you do for yourself. Don't forget the lessons you have learned, and you will grant me peace in the afterlife."

Soon, a crying was heard from the room, a baby's crying. Sesshomaru felt his heart soften at the sound. But it was soon sent crashing as he heard his mate scream again.

"No! What's wrong?" he wondered aloud, desperately.

Sasarg's tightened his grip on Seshomaru's shoulder. "I do not think anything is wrong. I think that life has one more surprise for me before I go, you as well."

Sesshomaru looked at Sasarg for further explanation at his cryptic answer.

Sasarg's eyes got eyebrows went up to better express his excitement at the word, "Twins."

"Impossible," said Sesshomaru panicking, "There was only one aura in her belly."

Yet the sounds of another baby crying soon filled the air. Soon, foot steps of the nurse Relaeh could be heard before she opened the door. "Milord, I don't understand how it is possible….but….twins milord. You have twins. One girl, one boy. The girl came first…but the boy…We could not sense him. You may enter now. The Lady is tired, but fine."

Sesshomaru nodded as he swept past the nurse and into the room. Sasarg followed, not waiting for an invitation. He never cared much for the rules of society, only for those of the kami. The rest of the friends in the hallway waited for their turn to see the new heirs to the western land. Sango took the two children, Shippo and Rin, into her arms so that they could have some comfort while their adopted father was absent.

Sesshomaru entered the room and nodded once for all the helpers to exit. He went over to his mate where she was propped up in one of the medical beds and holding two wrapped bundles. She looked up lovingly at the lord as he approached and kissed her gently on the forehead. He looked down at his children. The one in the crook of Kagome's left arm was radiating the strong demonic aura. Kagome passed the child to Sesshomaru.

She was a cute little girl, silver hair like his tufted on her head above her pointed demonic ears. She sleepily opened one eye to see who was disturbing her rest and Sesshomaru found silver eyes like her mother's demonic ones. He stroked her cheek where she had one demonic stripe in scarlet.

Sasarg was peering at the child over Sesshomaru's shoulder. "Demonic stripes at birth? I've never heard of such a thing. Most children do not have enough demonic power for stripes until they're at least 50 years old."

Sesshomaru nodded his head, "She will be strong. The name Emigina is befitting, so that is what she will be called." He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before handing her back to her mother. Kagome then presented him with the baby boy.

Sesshomaru nestled the little boy in the crook of his arm. The baby quickly took the opportunity to grab some of the silver hair hanging down. Sesshomaru gently removed the little fingers that were starting to pull and put his hair over his shoulder and out of the child's reach.

Sesshomaru gazed down at the child's face and instantly noticed two things: the crescent moon which should have been upon his forehead marking him as the heir of the western lands was absent and also, the child's ears were not pointed- they were rounded like a human's. Sesshomaru pushed these things to the back of his mind as he took in the rest of the baby boy's features. The boy had his golden eyes and his mother's golden hair. There were no demonic markings adorning his face, yet he did have his mother's radiant smile. The most interesting thing of all was that, even now that Sesshomaru was holding the baby in his arms, he still did not have any aura. Even humans had auras. What was his son?

Sasarg placed a finger on the boy's forehead. He closed his eyes in concentration. When he opened them again, there was a smile on his face. "You have a strong son, as well. He has two auras within him, one demonic, the other of a priest. They cancel each other out. Both lay in wait, they are waiting for him to discover which he will chose to be."

"Can he not be both like Kagome?" asked Seshsomaru.

Sasarg shook his head. "Kagome is a special case. She had control of her miko abilities before she became a demon. That allows her to survive both powers. But as a child with no control, the two powers would compete and he would destroy himself if they were active. That is why they are dormant. He will have access to both in his time of need, but until that time, you must let him live without pushing him to be one or the other. The kami will decide which he will be."

"And there's another thing," said Kagome, weariness in her voice. "He has inherited the sacred jewel from my body. He is the new protector."

"He is special, and he is my first son, and a golden son is he. I name him Kinichiro. He will be my heir." Sesshomaru kissed the baby boy's forehead lightly as well before kissing their mother.

"You have bore me two beautiful children, Kagome. You make me proud. We will be a good family."

Kagome chuckled, "Only a father for a few minutes and you're already going soft."

Sasarg joined her laughter, "I like this girl. I should've snagged her for myself instead of helping you get her. Alas, I did not."

Sesshomaru glared at him.

Sasarg put up his hands in a disarmed gesture, sweat- dropping. "You know what? I think I'll go let the others know that they can come see the new arrivals." He was out of the room before either of the couple could respond, a habit of his. Soon the room was crowded with friends and their joyous laughter and smiles.

Sasarg used this opportunity to sneak out of the room and into a castle garden. "Sesshomaru…you have found not just someone to protect, but many people, and it's all because of one girl's power to change you. If you protect those dear to you, you will have a happy life, no matter what next great evil will arise to take Naraku's place. Live well in this time of peace because it will not last forever. We are all but blades of grass on the wind, but what we leave behind in the minds of our friends and family makes us each eternal, if only we trust others to share our lives with. But me? I have always been, and so I will always remain as just another blade of grass in the wind."

Even as the guardian finished, the wind swirled around him and his body disappeared as a whirl of grass blades. He passed from the world as the kami directed. All that was left behind to tell of him was a story told by those happy people gathered around the two newborns and a single green-petaled flower in the garden where Sasarg had last stood. It is said that the flower faded away while the story lasted in myth and legends. In a way, Sasarg still lives on to this day.

O0o.The End.o0O

**A/N: **Sooo….how was that? I left it open for the sequel I know I'm going to write. It's going to be titled "A Demon's Greatest Shame." It'll have the old faces, some new faces, an evil trying to defeat humanity, and an heir to the western lands who believes he's a shame to his family, that old bag. I've been itching to start on this story for a while. Yay! I finally get to! Will Inuyasha find someone to love? Will Kinichiro chose to embrace his demonic side or his holy side? Will Emigina be uber-powerful and distant like her father once was? I'm not sure yet, because I haven't written it yet!

How 'bout one last review with your parting thoughts before you click on my pen name to see if the sequel's up yet, which should be a few minutes after this chapter is posted. Thank you for taking the time to read what I written. I feel like this story is my child, except I can freely cuss at it without it picking up the language and throwing it back at me.


End file.
